My Other Self
by Palace of Ice
Summary: The obligatory amnesia story with adult scenes to keep you all engaged! Set in the modern day. Warnings: The usual BDSM, slight Christianity and tearfulness. New stuff includes alcoholism (with recovery) and untreated anorexia. Look out for Victorian vs Modern Culture clash as well.
1. Chapter 1

Henry sat staring at the circuit board on his workbench morosely, his thoughts cycling through the memory of the phone call. The call that, despite knowing intellectually that the woman who raised him, Helen Magnus, was always one step ahead of danger and destruction, he had never really expected to get.

It was too weird. Magnus, woman of action, broken and comatose from a simple wrong way driver on the highway. Will had been driving. It was a miracle he wasn't dead, but nearly every bone in his body had shattered. He was having his third surgery today. No one knew if he would make it.

When his mind wasn't replaying the phone call it ran in frantic circles of anxious thoughts. What would happen to the Sanctuary? In the initial weeks after the accident Henry had let everything go. Tesla had been useless. Despite being married to the boss for the last year he didn't know the first thing about running anything except his own lab. Magnus had always been reluctant to delegate, except to her handpicked second in command Will, and they were all paying the price now. Never had the Sanctuary turned away so many before, and the abnormal community was feeling the lack.

At least Kate and Big Guy were there to help with feedings and medical care. If it hadn't been for them Declan would no doubt have intervened and sent his own people to deal with it. Magnus would have hated that with a passion.

The phone rang. Henry jumped, startled out of his ruminations and picked up.

"Yes?" "You mean-She's awake?! Is she…has she said anything?" "Yes! Yes, of course, I'll bring her husband and-Oh my god, he'll be ecstatic! Can I see her too?" "Great, we'll come immediately!"

He hung up and ran out of the room, yelling "Tesla! Helen is awake!"

…

Nikola went into the room first, eyes sliding over the wires and beeping equipment until they found her pale, slim face. The stitches were gone, the bruises faded, but her body seemed so frail. He sat gingerly by her side. "Helen?" He covered her hand with his own. It was cold. "Helen!" he cried, involuntarily alarmed at her lifelessness. Her eyes fluttered open, the blue gaze so bright in the white, sterile room it was electric. "I was so happy when they told me you woke up! You-do you know you were in a car accident?" Helen swallowed and licked her lips slowly. She tried to speak, then coughed weakly. Nikola reacted with disproportionate alarm, "Do you need water?! I can get some-" She shook her head minutely. "They said I hit my head…" she slurred softly. Nikola waited expectantly, but she said nothing else. "Ah, yes. They said you hurt your, your brain." He whispered, as though it were some sort of secret. "And, well, you've been in a coma for months, but you woke up!" He smiled at her, tears in his eyes, as he gently patted her hand. "You're going to get better." He stated, trying to encourage her, as he watched her eyes cloud, presumably troubled by what he was saying. "Is…is something wrong?" He whispered as her eyes darted about searchingly, her face radiating distress. "I-I need…" she stuttered, "Where is my father?" Nikola swallowed down tears and lied, "It's okay. Gregory is traveling right now. Don't worry, I'm here with you." Helen's eyes narrowed as she stared at him distrustfully, then she slowly asked, "Do I know you?"

…

Henry came out of Helen's room to find the doctor telling Nikola about the symptoms of traumatic brain injury. "She will be confused for a while. Short lived amnesia is not uncommon, so don't worry about it too much at this point. Of course, it's likely she'll never remember the crash itself or events surrounding it. But hopefully, she'll start to recognize her family in the next couple weeks. Oh, Mr. Foss, did she recognize you?" Henry shook his head no and the doctor nodded slowly. "Well, yes, she's still at that stage, so I should let you know what to expect over the near term and the long term. We already assessed her for sensory issues and verbal ability and it seems that she is able to see, hear, smell, taste, move her limbs normally, speak and understand speech. We'll do some more tests and keep her under observation for another week, and if she is doing well she can go home. She'll likely have mental difficulties for some time, possibly permanently. Have either of you had any experience with recognizing seizures?" Henry shook his head and was surprised with Nikola nodded, "I had mild seizures when I was young. So did my brother." He muttered, his dark brows drawn together over stormy grey eyes. The doctor nodded perfunctorily. "Yes, well, you'll have to keep a close eye on her initially. But, she is assessing well, so…she may be fine. Anyway, here is some literature that goes more in depth about the effects of injuries like these. We'll let you know when she's ready to go home, and of course, at that time we'll talk about any physical or other types of therapy she'll need on an ongoing basis."

…

The hospital didn't let them visit Helen during the assessment process as they felt it would tax her resources too much. After the week was up they called. Nikola answered.

"Tesla speaking." "What's the issue?" "That was a pre-existing condition." "Yes, she was getting treatment from Dr. Zimmerman, but I understand that he is still recovering. By the way, do you have any information on his condition?" "Yes, I'll wait." "Hello? Good, I'm glad to hear it was a success. Yes, Dr. Zimmerman was her personal psychologist, but I suppose she'll need a substitute if he'll be in the hospital for that long." "Thanks, but we'll find someone ourselves. When can I come pick my wife up?" "Good, I'll be there in an hour."

Nikola hung up the phone and walked down the hall to Henry's lab. "Come on. We're going to pick up Helen."

…

Henry pushed his boss and adoptive mother out to the van in the hospital provided wheel chair. It was unnecessary, as she could walk just fine. Her broken bones had mended long ago and her coordination was surprisingly good for the severity of brain injury she had suffered. Henry supposed it might have something to do with the Source Blood's effects. It not only gave her greater longevity but also slightly accelerated healing.

Nikola helped Helen into the van and went so far as to buckle her seatbelt for her, as though she were a child. Henry smiled a little at that then sobered as he remembered how she had been injured. He felt nervous as he got behind the wheel, the weight of responsibility falling on his shoulders. He tried to reassure himself that a wrong way driver was very unlikely, that he had been driving for almost twenty years and had never had an accident. Surely that had to say something about his ability? But Will was a safe driver too, and that didn't help, whispered in the back of his mind. He sighed and pulled slowly out of the parking lot. Life didn't come with guarantees, he knew.

…

"Do I own this?" Helen asked, awestruck by the castle-like building the husky young man pulled up against. He pressed a button and the garage door opened, revealing a cavernous space filled with multiple cars, each more sleek and luxurious than the last. "Yeah, you definitely don't have to worry about money." The dark haired young man-Henry, she remembered-said softly as he turned the car off. The wiry fellow who claimed to be her husband opened the door for her and helped her down. What was his name again? Nick? She thanked him and followed Henry into the house, if such a palace could even be called that. God, what kind of person was she that she felt the need to buy this monstrosity? How would she keep from getting lost? As it was she could barely remember right from left, much less navigate a mansion.

They took her to her room, then paused awkwardly at the door. Henry cleared his throat and mumbled, "Well, I'll leave you to it then. See you tomorrow doc." Then abruptly took off leaving her with Nick. He gave her a long look then sighed, opened the door and gestured for her to enter.

Helen stepped inside the sumptuously appointed bedroom. It was all lovingly polished old-fashioned cherry wood furniture, heavy embroidered tapestry curtains, warm lit and comfortable. It was…familiar. She immediately felt at ease here and found herself drawn to the bed. She pulled back the comforter only to find black silk sheets. Somehow that was jarring. Why? She looked up expecting to see a cloth canopy and found, a mirror? "What on earth?" she muttered bemusedly. Nick came over and stuttered, "Uh, sorry, if you don't want it anymore, I'll get rid of it." He was actually blushing. She shook her head slowly, uncertain what to make of the situation, until she glimpsed something hanging on the wall. She walked over to the framed canvas print. "Us." She mused, gently straightening the frame.

The portrait was a formal studio shot of them in their wedding clothes. The brunette woman in the photo had a Mona Lisa smile, eyes soft and warm, looking happy to be by the side of an exceedingly sharply dressed version of the man next to her. His face was so serious. There was something strange about that severe expression in the photo. Wasn't he more prone to…she couldn't recall. She sighed and slumped exhausted. She turned to what was evidently her husband and asked, "Nick, do you have somewhere to sleep? I want to go to bed." There was a moment of silence as he stared at the floor for the moment. "It's Nikola. I suppose it's the Serbo-Croatian version of Nick…" He nodded slowly as she repeated that she really wanted to go to bed. Avoiding eye contact, he quickly headed for the door. "I'll be in the room right across the hall, okay? If you need me, I'm right here. Goodnight."

…

Every morning, Nikola knocked on her door and brought her breakfast in bed. He chatted with her briefly, asking all sorts of prying questions. Did she sleep well? Did she have any pain? Was there anything she wanted? It went on and on, until she was cross and exhausted. No, she did not sleep well and she was tired still. No, she wasn't in any pain. No, she couldn't think of anything she wanted except to be left alone to nap, now please couldn't he just give her her food then leave her be? Nikola smiled tightly, and said, "Of course. See you at lunch." He left. And true to his word she would wake up to find him with another tray, another set of annoying questions and the conviction that she absolutely had to take a walk in the garden. He gamely ignored her complaints until she gave in, let him lead her there and made her walk about for twenty minutes or so. Then he brought her back to her room to rest. "Henry will bring you dinner." He always said the same things. As if she didn't know. How annoying. Didn't the man have some kind of work to do? Finally after weeks of the same routine she asked him. He nodded slowly. "Yes, I usually work a great deal." Helen feigned the sort of polite interest that one has when making small talk with a stranger. "Oh? What do you do?" The man looked down and said simply, "I'm an inventor." Helen nodded, "Ah, I see. Well, that explains how you can take so much time off." Nikola suddenly stared intensely into her eyes. "Do you remember what you do Helen?"

Helen thought a moment, but was distressed to draw a complete blank. She huffed angrily, "Well, no. I don't. Why don't you just tell me?" Nikola shook his head and said, "It's a bit complicated, but essentially you're a philanthropist." Something about that…didn't sit right with her. Was he lying? Considering that he was in control of her entire life at the moment she decided not to call him on it, but made a note to ask Henry when she saw him for dinner.

…

Henry asked her intensely personal questions that he was obviously emotionally invested in. It caused her a great deal of discomfort and almost made her miss Nikola's doctor-like checklist. She felt bad that she didn't remember Henry. He told her that she had adopted him when he was a little boy, that now he worked for her organization the Sanctuary, that she had been coming back from a business event with her employee Will when they had the accident. Will was evidently her personal psychologist. Somehow, Henry seemed a great deal more trustworthy than Nikola and she began asking him questions as she started to have more energy and focus. "Did I have a mental illness, that I needed to have Will with me so often?" Henry shook his head, "No, not really. He's the psychologist for the whole Sanctuary. He helps our clients, not just you. And he also does a lot of administrative work for you. Since he's in the hospital, I've been doing it. Not very well, I'm sorry to say." "What about Nikola? Can't he do it?" Henry pulled a face. "He's been kept pretty out of the loop most of the time he's been here." Helen seized on this tidbit, "Why? Isn't he trustworthy?" Henry started to look really uncomfortable. "I don't know if I should tell you-" "I deserve to know! You have to tell me." Helen pressed, staring her adoptive son down.

Henry rocked back and forth nervously then blurted out, "Tesla, I mean Nikola, had an undiagnosed mental illness for most of the time he's been with the Sanctuary. He was this arrogant asshole with delusions of grandeur, constantly scheming and a liar-" "What?! Then why was he ever hired?" Henry sighed, "Well, that's the thing, he wasn't hired. He's been your friend since college. After he was finally diagnosed, with pretty severe mania by the way, and recovered, you told us all that you had actually known him from before he developed symptoms. So, I guess you felt some kind of responsibility or loyalty to him-" Helen interrupted again, "Wait, that still doesn't tell me what he was doing here. Was he just a charity case, or what?" "He was making some new technology for us, updating the computers, security systems, that kind of stuff." Helen nodded slowly. That made sense. Henry looked relieved and continued, "So, anyway, he recovered from his mental illness and became, like this whole other person, honest, reliable, still snarky but not a complete jerk, and he was still great at his job, so…I guess you guys, uh, picked up where you left off in college? Long story short, you got married about a year ago."

Helen shook her head, wondering if their complicated history was the entire reason why she didn't trust everything Nikola told her. "Am I really a philanthropist?" she asked abruptly. Henry was briefly taken aback. "Well, yes. Essentially the Sanctuary helps people that have genetic abnormalities. You're also a medical doctor. And a zoologist. And, um, a conservationist of rare and endangered species. And a veterinarian. I think that's everything…" he trailed off. Helen was overwhelmed. Was she really all those things before the accident? "Oh…" she said in a weak voice. Suddenly, she felt very small and sad. The reality that she might never be any of those things again pressed in on her. She might never even remember this young man in front of her, how she became his mother, why she had decided to adopt him in the first place… "I-I don't feel well. I think I need to rest." She told her son and turned away from him as he left her alone in her room. Her eyes fell on the wedding portrait on the wall. The two strangers stared at her from the canvas as she tried to fight off loneliness and fall asleep.

…

Henry hoped that bringing Magnus her favorite meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes with brown gravy and green beans would cheer her up. He could tell that she had started to understand what she had lost and was worried about the future now. He brought some of the pictures from her album, hoping they would help her remember or at least cheer her up. After much deliberation, he brought pictures of Ashley as well. After she had died Magnus had taken down all her pictures, because it made her too sad to see them around the house. They had all been carefully scanned and digitally archived, a thumb drive with the files placed in a safety deposit box and the originals stored in an album in a fireproof safe.

...

After an especially delicious dinner, Henry asked her if she'd like to see some family photos. She thought for a moment, then nodded hoping it might help her remember this kind young man with the sad eyes. The first photo was of a little boy. "Oh, it's you!" she exclaimed, getting a flash of memory. "You were so happy because you found that video game you lost." Henry laughed and smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges charmingly. "Yeah, that's right! I knew you'd start remembering!" Helen searched her mind for more details. "You were ten, I think." "Yes!" Henry showed her another photo. This one was of him at his high school graduation. "You were excited because you got accepted to UBC, and I remember we went and got ice cream after the ceremony." "That's right!" Helen looked at her son and had the strangest feeling of something snapping into place. She recognized him. "You turn thirty one this year, but we don't know when because no one knows what month you were born. So we just celebrate it in March when you came home." Henry sniffed, "Yeah, I missed you." He whispered, "Can I give you a hug now?" Helen laughed and opened her arms and hugged her son. "Oh, I remember you, I remember!"

Henry pulled back after a while and asked seriously, "Do you remember Ashley?" Helen replied, "Ashley?" and paused searching her mind. Henry took out another photo. It was a young woman, blonde with icy blue eyes. "Oh, Ashley!" The memory of her daughter crashed down on her with an avalanche of grief. "My baby…" she whimpered as tears flowed down her face. She was gone, that was all she could remember. She was dead. How could she be dead!? She didn't even know her own daughter. Helen wailed as she realized she was mourning a loss she couldn't even understand.

"What-What did you do?!" Nikola yelled, as he opened Helen's door to find her crying hysterically while Henry hovered helplessly nearby. Then he spotted the photos. "You told her about Ashley? Are you insane?! Get out! Get out!" Henry left reluctantly as Nikola came over to Helen and tried to comfort her. "I'm here. It's okay. I've got you." He said soothingly, trying to hold her close, but she pushed him violently away. "No! I-I don't want you here! Leave-" Helen sobbed, jumping out of bed and physically pushed him toward the door. "Please Helen, I can-I'll help you-" Nikola pleaded, resisting her until she hit him, then shoved him out the door and yelled "I don't know you. Leave me alone!"

…

Nikola stood for a moment outside Helen's closed door, wiping away his tears, then stalked down the hall only to run into Henry who had been watching from a distance. "What the hell were you thinking? Trying to jog her memory that way is-maybe it's even dangerous to her health. You're so negligent." He said to Henry in a calm, deadly serious tone. Henry just nodded looking shell shocked. "She was getting better. She remembered me. Remembered being a mom…" Nikola tsked in disgust, "Well, you better hope that you didn't do any lasting damage with this stunt."

…

After learning about Ashley Helen was depressed for a while. She hardly ate. She refused to go for walks. Anytime Nikola tried to talk to her she just ignored him. She was willing to talk to Henry though, so Henry had to take over meals while Nikola requested a recommendation for a psychologist from the New York sanctuary and tried to stay on top of Sanctuary business. Eventually, he found one and they started daily therapy. After a week, she seemed to improve. She was also starting to remember details of Ashley's life. Maybe that was why. Whatever the reason, Nikola was glad when she started eating better and exercising. She still didn't remember him though, and he couldn't help but feel bad about it. But on the other hand, she couldn't seem to remember much about herself either, so maybe it had something to do with more recent memories coming back sooner?

…

"Have you heard about Will?" Nikola shook his head absentmindedly as he created another digital version of the paper forms that Helen had loved so much. He figured at this rate he'd have her entire system digitized in another month. "They're doing another surgery. The last one was only partially successful. They said, he, he'll be in a wheel chair most likely, if he recovers…" Henry trailed off uncertainly, not wanting to say anything for certain. "That's good." Tesla said carelessly. Henry huffed, "Well no, not really." He watched as Nikola swore at the computer and erased a bunch of code and started over. "You know, that's really not as difficult as you're making it. The-" "Shut up. Go feed the inmates or go work on that excuse for engineering on your workbench." Henry shook his head exasperated. Why was Tesla bothering to program routine forms anyway? "Alright. I'll leave you to it."

After Henry left Nikola found his concentration was broken. He glanced at the clock. It was 11:24. Almost time for Helen's lunch. She had mellowed toward him since beginning therapy and was even starting to ask him questions about them as a couple. Where did they meet? How long did they date? Given their unique history, he was having to be a little creative with his answers. As usual, he got the impression that she could tell, but wasn't hassling him about it anymore. He was hoping that enough of what he told her was familiar that she would start to remember on her own, as he really didn't want to tell her the truth and be accused of insanity, or worse yet, make her question her own sanity.

He left the lab for the kitchen and threw together some of her funny little cucumber sandwiches, a slice of cantaloupe and hot tea with cream and sugar exactly to her taste. Over the last year he had observed her carefully and felt confident he could replicate her preferences easily. He put the lunch on her favorite silver tray and took it up to her room.

…

Helen turned away from her easel at the sound of three rapid knocks. It was Nikola. "Come in." She rinsed her brush and put it down to dry. Her psychologist had recommended art therapy to give her something to do now that she was feeling better. Painting appealed to her, though she had no originality of vision and merely attempted to reproduce what she saw. Her current painting was a still life of a rose, nothing special. But it filled the time pleasantly.

Nikola put the tray down on a small folding table and sat down across from her customary seat on the bed. "You know, I think I'm done taking meals in my room. Surely there's a dining room in this place." Nikola nodded. "Yes, that would be nice. Will you want to paint in the solarium?" She was pleased by the thought. "Yes, I'd like that very much. Do we have many plants there?" Nikola nodded again, then pushed her tray toward her, not so subtlely hinting that she should eat. She daintily picked up the bone china cup and blew across the steaming hot tea. After a moment of savoring the scent she tasted it. Excellent as usual. "Do you make it for me or are there servants somewhere?" Nikola got that ever so slightly wide eyed look that she was pretty sure meant he was lying and said, "Well, there's a butler, but I make it for you." "Will I be meeting him?" Nikola looked away briefly then smiled a little too wide. "Of course, but at the moment he's vacationing. Try the sandwich. I made that too."

Helen mulled over the questions she didn't feel safe asking him. Why was he concealing things from her? Were they involved in some sort of illegal activity? Did he have some kind of inability to tell the complete truth, maybe a lingering effect from his mental illness? Or could it be that she was simply misreading him? Instead of asking him any of these things she simple asked, "How long have we known each other?" Nikola smiled quickly and said, "Oh, many years. Since college and that was ages ago now…" Helen frowned, "How old am I anyhow? Henry said I raised him from the age of eight and he's thirty one now…and I obviously had a lot of schooling to have mastered so many fields. I look forty something…" She mused to herself.

Nikola nodded vaguely then changed the subject. "Do you remember meeting at Oxford? Remember the park and the pigeons, how you asked me where I was from?" Nikola pleaded with her, his eyes sad. Helen searched her memory. "You were wearing a long red dress, silk. Your hair was blonde then, longer and curly. Do you remember?" Helen shook her head, "I really can't…Besides how would I remember what I looked like that day? What did you look like?" Nikola's eyes widened and he cursed softly. He muttered under his breath, "Maybe that's the key." Then told her, "I looked really different back then, slicked my hair down; parted it in the middle. I had a moustache." Helen laughed, "Were you going through a hipster phase in college?" Nikola scowled rather cutely. "I have no response to this outrageous mockery!" he ranted, just to make her laugh harder.

…

"Growing a moustache huh? Do you think it will bring back some memories?" Nikola nodded at Henry as he straightened his hair. It had been a long time since he had carried a comb on a regular basis. Henry pulled a face. "God, you really look like a science textbook." "Uh huh. The burdens of worldwide celebrity are mine to bear." Tesla snarked. "It's still a little thin. Maybe give it a few more days," Henry shot back only to be met with a stormy gaze. "Good enough. I think she'll recognize me."

…

Helen was amused by Nikola's new (old?) look. Combined with his predilection for suits he looked like he had stepped out of another era. It still hadn't brought back any memories, but somehow it made him seem, what, friendlier? More honest? Almost innocent…no, just younger. It was strange, shouldn't facial hair make a man seem older? He was an elegant diner, perfect posture, precise movements. Such a dainty eater, much more than herself to be honest. That must be why he is so slim, she mused as she watched him sip his wine. Who has wine with breakfast? He was probably constantly buzzed. With that figure he must be a lightweight. Maybe he was a mild alcoholic, dependent on his thrice a day habit. "Did you live in France for a while?"

He was visibly surprised. "Yes, I worked in Paris for two years. Why, do you remember something?" Helen sighed, "No, you just drink like a Frenchman, that's all." Nikola smirked, "Well, Serbians generally drink more." "Oh? So this is you restraining yourself?" Helen asked archly. Nikola shrugged. "I used to drink brandy when I was young, but now I stick to wine." "Getting older are we? How old are you anyhow?" Nikola replied softly, "Six years younger than you." Helen chuckled lowly, "You're waiting for me to remember myself, aren't you?" Nikola raised his glass. "Got me."

After they finished their meal, Nikola rose and helped her out of her chair. "Leave the dishes for the help today. I'd like to show you my lab." Helen nearly skipped after him in excitement as he led her on what to her, seemed like an exciting adventure. They got in the lift and descended a level. He led her to some heavy double doors and opened them with a flourish. "Welcome to my kingdom." He grinned maniacally and sat her down. "Let the show begin!" With those dramatic words the lab became pitch black.

Helen gasped in surprise as suddenly a mysterious light appeared in the darkness. It illuminated the thin, angular face of her supposed husband. After her eyes adjusted she saw that it was a large light bulb, but inside were flickering tendrils of red, blue and purple, flame-like rather than the usual white light. Nikola played with the globe-like surface and she watched entranced as the tendrils followed his finger as he traced it over the glass. He then tossed the bulb from one hand to the other. Strangely the moment it lost contact with his hand it went out, only to resume its strange burning in his other hand. After a couple passes he tired of this trick and put it behind his back, the bulb vanishing through some trickery, then said "Lights!" In response the overhead lights turned on. Helen clapped like a little girl at the circus delighted by the show.

Nikola smiled widely then bowed. "And now, my greatest invention!" He strode across the room and abruptly flipped a switch on the wall. A large cylindrical pillar with a great metal ring at the top spat lighting with a great boom. Helen jumped in her seat, and watched amazed as Nikola approached the electrical storm. He produced a metal wand with a flourish then touched it to the coil. Suddenly he was enveloped in a cold white fire, yet he did not burn. The awe inspiring sight lasted for a dozen of her terrified heart beats, then he pulled away from the coil and turned it off.

There was a deafening silence until Helen gasped, "You! It's-My god, it's you!" She burst into tears and leapt to her feet. "Oh Nikola, how could I forget you?" As they embraced, tears wetting their kissing lips Nikola whispered passionately, "My Helen, I knew you would come back to me."

…

Henry couldn't find Magnus anywhere. He'd already checked her room, the solarium, the den, the kitchen, the library…even the gardens and the hallways. She couldn't have gotten to the lower levels? That would be a disaster. Finally, he headed to the labs, hoping Tesla would help him look for her. When he opened the door he found them cuddled on the couch Tesla sometimes slept on in there, chatting happily about their shared history.

"And did you succeed at worldwide wireless power?" She was asking raptly. Tesla seemed relieved to be interrupted. "Ah, Heinrich." Henry rolled his eyes and grinned at the old nickname. He hadn't heard it in a long time. "Helen has remembered our college days, her longevity and the night of the Source Blood experiment. Other than that, there's a big gap between then and when she had Ashley, so I was filling her in a little." "Does she know you were a vampire?" Magnus gasped, "What?! The serum was supposed to avoid that result!" Tesla shushed her and patted her hand, "Well, we didn't count on any of us having a vampire ancestor, did we?" Magnus shook her head, marveling. "Do you mean to say, you're immortal?" Tesla shook his head, "No more than you are my dear. Rather recently I invented a device to reverse the effect-" "Oh, is that why you were manic? A side effect of vampirism?" Tesla scowled, glared at Henry briefly, and then explained, "I suppose so. Since I was de-vamped I have…well, I've changed…" Helen smiled lovingly and stroked her husband's arm. "Yes, you're lovely aren't you?" Tesla actually blushed, stood and straightened his suit. "Thank you Helen. Now Henry, what was it you wanted?" Henry was already leaving. "Never mind, I'll let you two keep catching up!"

…


	2. Chapter 2

Helen had still not recovered any memories from the long stretch of her life between the night of the Source Blood and the birth of her daughter Ashley, but she remembered some generalities about her life. She could vaguely recall general facts that she had learned in her education, but specifics escaped her. She had attempted to look over her scientific notes only to find them incomprehensible. Henry suggested that maybe she just needed to review fundamentals and directed her to the library. She could read just fine, but…well, after ten minutes or so she couldn't focus any longer. Nikola said that she just needed to start mental training and began taking her to a brain injury therapist. Sessions with him were extremely discouraging. The first question he asked was why she hadn't come sooner. She supposed that the secrecy of her life and occupation was the true reason why, but obviously she couldn't say that and was forced to simply claim ignorance. He then took Nikola aside and scolded him at length, unfortunately within her earshot.

"It's practically criminal negligence! There's a window of time in which recovery can happen. Every day that goes by it gets smaller. As long as it's been, it's unlikely she'll ever recover anything like full function." Helen felt crushed. It was too late. After a while, she also felt a little bad for her husband, but the conversation also planted a seed of doubt in her mind. Could he have done more for her? Was secrecy really such a necessity that he had put her health and future at risk? Her mental conflict eventually became so severe that she couldn't bear going to therapy any longer. When Nikola questioned her she just said it was making her sad and afraid. After witnessing her fidgeting and furrowed brow in the waiting room he relented and told her she didn't have to go anywhere she didn't want to. "Maybe you just need to go your own pace." He soothed as he drove her home from the therapist's office for the last time. "You'll see. It will come back in time."

…

Henry reintroduced her to the abnormals in her-well, in the Sanctuary's care. He helped her learn how about their nutritional requirements as well as how to check their enclosure settings. It was enjoyable and felt completely new to her. The creatures were fascinating and she was proud of the work her former self had done to save their lives. Hopefully they would eventually be able to reintroduce them to their native habitats. The sentient abnormals were exceedingly sympathetic when her amnesia was explained to them. She smiled and tried to avoid them as much as possible.

Nikola had shown her the administrative aspect of their work. He seemed overly proud of the electronic records system he had set up. "What if the power goes out? Are there backup hard copies?" She demanded. Nikola shook his head. "It's all backed up on our offsite server. Don't worry." There wasn't even any filing she could do. He had automated everything as much as possible and had all data being entered through pads, one for himself and another for Henry. She inquired what else she usually did and Nikola looked uncomfortable. "A lot of your time was taken up with research, administrative work, medical care for the inmates-" "Don't call them that!" He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. Um, and you did a lot of fund raising." Helen brightened at that last task.

"Well, there's nothing preventing me from doing that." Nikola looked uncomfortable, "Yes…that's true…" he said slowly. Helen scowled, "What? What is it?" He came over and took her in his arms. "It's just, that's…that's what you were doing when the accident happened." Helen gently stroked this strange yet deeply familiar man's face. He was her husband, of course he was worried. "We can't live in fear." She whispered then kissed him tenderly.

…

Unfortunately, there were no fund raising opportunities in the near future, so she spent most of her time getting acquainted with her various colleagues and employees. Big Guy was a shock but after a surprisingly short period of time she found herself just relating to him like any other person. Kate treated her with poorly concealed pity and she couldn't help but feel hostile toward her for that reason. She was introduced to Declan in a video conferencing session. Mostly he had a lot of questions for Henry and Nikola about the state of Old City's abnormal community and about whether Will would be healed soon or not. Hearing them talk shop made her feel like a useless third wheel. Whoever this Will person was, it seemed that once he healed everyone expected him to take over the Sanctuary. In the meantime, Nikola was becoming more and more adept at handling things. He was already making decisions about staffing for the future, asking Declan to find doctor and veterinarian candidates for them, telling him that he'd like to transfer Kate. Helen sighed inaudibly and tried to keep a polite smile on her face until the conference was over.

…

"Nikola, do we usually have a lot of sex?" A bark of laughter escaped his lips at her blunt question and he rolled over in their king sized four poster bed, enjoying the feeling of the silk sheets. "Yeah, I guess. It was about, twice a week on weekdays, then two or three times a night on weekends. Is that a lot?" Helen cocked her head cutely on her pillow. "I suppose…We haven't had sex all this time. Aren't you…well, it's not good for your health to go without when that's what you're used to-" "Oh my god, no one believes that anymore Helen! I don't think anyone's believed that since 19…hmm, I'm not sure, some time in the '20s I think." They lay there side by side in a comfortable if expectant silence. Nikola smiled as Helen took a deep breath. "I found some things in the closet yesterday." "Ah, so that's what this is about." "Yes, do you-Is that what you require in order to…" Nikola laughed a bit nervously, "I wouldn't go quite so far as to say 'require' but, I do enjoy being…restrained-" "Oh, you mean it's for you? I would have thought-" "Hmm, I asked you about it, but you weren't interested. You were fine with being…in control of things." Nikola was started to get aroused by the conversation. His mind was playing through some very pleasant memories with his strong, rather bossy wife. Of course, he reminded himself, their relationship was rather different now. But maybe not that different.

"Did you want to…?" Nikola asked. Helen turned toward her husband and hugged him to her. "Okay. I would like to try." Nikola smiled happily as she pressed her body up against his. "Mmm, you're so warm." He whispered in her ear. "I've missed this." Helen felt nervous. She couldn't actually remember having had sex before, not just with Nikola, but with anyone. She kissed him tentatively then slid her hands over his bare chest. The slim, wiry muscles were firm and hot under her hands. She lay back, pulled her nightgown up to her waist and spread her legs, waiting for him to mount her. After a few moments she opened her eyes and looked over at her husband. He was looking at her with a troubled look on his face.

"Is this not how we usually do it?" She asked meekly. He shook his head, glanced down at the bed and murmured "It's okay though. It's different right now." "Do you, you do want me right?" Helen whined feeling humiliated. Nikola quickly embraced her pressing her face into his shoulder. "Of course I do!" He kissed her as passionately as he could, caressed and squeezed her breasts through the cotton nightgown, then slid his hand down to her pussy. It was still dry. No problem, he thought bringing his fingers to his mouth and wetting them with his saliva. He rubbed her clit, attempting to arouse her, but she didn't seem to be responding much, if at all. He pressed a finger inside of her and she gasped. Was it with excitement or pain? He honestly couldn't tell. Usually, by now she was as wet as the Nile.

"Are you okay?" he whispered as he thrust his finger into her tight heat. "I think so." She whispered back. _Oh my god, she's like a virgin_, he thought as he pulled his finger out of her. He pushed two fingers into her mouth. "Get it wet." He groaned as he watched her sucking on his fingers. Once he figured she had done an adequate job he thrust two fingers in her watching her face closely for signs of pain. "Okay?" he murmured, entranced by her unfocused inward gaze as she experienced being penetrated for the first time that she could remember. "Do you want me to fuck you now?" he asked urgently after she nodded. She was silent for a while. "Tell me. Do you want me inside you?" he demanded, excited and harder than he'd been in years. Helen kissed his cheeks and sighed, "Yes."

He quickly slicked up his dick then mounted her, pressing firmly into her sweet little hole. She tried gamely to take him in, but was struggling, whimpering and jumping every time he tried to thrust inside of her. He kept expecting to feel her give, to feel her moisten as she became aroused, but she never did. Soon she was crying softly. Feeling bad he abruptly pulled out of her, wincing as she moaned with obvious pain. He embraced her, showering little kisses over her wet cheeks. "It's okay. It's normal to have a little difficulty at first." He got off her and lay next to her, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry. It will work itself out." Helen didn't reply, just cried until she fell asleep.

…

Helen was embarrassed to ask, but that's what psychologists were for right? Asking embarrassing personal questions including about marital relations. She knocked on the door of Dr. Newman and quickly took a seat across from her as directed. After the standard catch up questions she got to the point. "Is it normal to have sexual difficulties after traumatic brain injury?" Dr. Newman, ever the consummate professional said, "Certainly it can be. Is this an ongoing problem, or something you've only just become aware of?" Helen sighed, "We tried for the first time a few days ago and it hurt." Dr. Newman hummed thoughtfully, "Were you anxious?" Helen nodded but interjected, "I've talked with my husband, asked him what our relations were like before the accident. He said we never had trouble like this before. Also, I feel like he…like I wasn't meeting his expectations. That I am really different than before." She sniffled, "Maybe…maybe I've become…frigid…" The psychologist quickly put up a hand, "Now, we don't use that term anymore in psychological practice. It's a completely unscientific idea. Have you done any self-exploration or masturbation?" Helen blushed and shook her head. "For now, I would advise you to do so. This is to determine if you are experiencing a physical problem or if it is primarily psychological." Helen nodded, "Yes that makes sense. Thank you, doctor."

…

"I like you blonde again. Did Henry tell you how to dye it?" Nikola stroked her hair and kissed her cheek as she sat at her vanity. He looked simultaneously dashing and devilish as he looked over her shoulder in the mirror. "Yes, it wasn't difficult. I thought it would be nice. We have happy memories together, looking this way." Nikola wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her gently. "I've been masturbating." Helen said abruptly. Her husband coughed then laughed, "You're trying to kill me, I swear. Aiming to prove that celibacy is destroying my health, is that it?" Helen smiled back at him in the mirror, delighted by his reaction. "Yes, I think you're definitely showing signs of strain. Dark circles under your eyes, an unhealthy pallor, skinny as a rail-" "Aw, come on! I'm fine. You're the one I worry about-" "Well, that's just it, I need to take care of you too."

Nikola swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "Oh, are you offering to 'take care' of me?" His wife's smile faded. "I want to, so badly…" Nikola picked her up, sat her down on the bed and stood before her, pushing her legs apart with his own. "So, did you think about me while you were touching yourself?" He whispered, staring down into her eyes. Helen averted her eyes shyly until he took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. Her eyes darted down to the bulge in his pants then back to his intense gray blue eyes. "Yes. And, I did get wet." Nikola groaned and openly rubbed his erection through his trousers in front of her. "Oh my god, you're so shameless." She whispered, only to be met with a dirty smirk and dark laughter, "You're my wife. Nothing is off limits, is it?" Helen thought for a moment then slowly shook her head. Nikola took her hand and put it on his hard dick. "Unzip me." He demanded.

Helen licked her lips, totally unconscious of how provocative this made her look, then gently drew down the zipper of Nikola's fine wool trousers. "Take it out." She looked up at her husband, his eyes were dark with lust, watching raptly as she peeled the layers of cloth away and pulled out his cock. "Do you remember how I used to beg you to take me in your mouth? You'd have me tied up, bruised and sore from a hard whipping, and I'd be so hard for you. I'd cry and beg and you, you would laugh." Helen shook her head, she didn't remember a thing. "Well, good. Now I'll finally get my revenge. Come on, open your mouth." He watched as her bosom rose and fell more rapidly. Was she anxious or excited? Did he care at the moment?

The thought snapped him out of his lustful state momentarily, "Are you okay?" he whispered, almost like asking was a secret. Helen smiled softly, "Yes. I want to please you." Nikola nodded, then asked again, "Are you enjoying this?" Helen put his cock in her mouth and hummed with apparent enjoyment. Nikola groaned as her hot mouth enveloped his sensitive flesh. "Fuck. Ah, yes." He held her head gently and thrust shallowly into her mouth, not sure how much she could take. After a surprisingly short period of time he was ready to cum. "Ah, Helen, I'm going to, uh, ejaculate…" He stopped thrusting but she just stroked him with her hands and slid her mouth over his glans herself. "Oh my god…do you want it in your mouth?" he managed to gasp out. "Mm-hm." She hummed around him as he tensed then let himself go. She stilled as the sour liquid gathered on her tongue. Her husband gasped for air a bit, then looked down at her frozen around his dick. Meeting his dazed gaze she deliberately swallowed with a little wince, then pulled off. "Was it good?" she breathed, exhausted from her efforts.

Nikola flopped onto the bed next to her. "It was great. So very, very great." He wrapped his arms around her hips and snuggled his face against her leg. "Ah, you sucked the life out of me." He lifted his head and yawned. "I'm sorry, I should make you cum too…" he mumbled as his eyes drooped. Helen stroked the back of his neck. "Come on, let's put you to bed. You're too exhausted from taking care of your brain damaged wife and running the Sanctuary to try and please me." Nikola slowly got to his feet and let her help him get undressed. "Don't talk bad about yourself. You're getting better every day…" His pep talk was interrupted by another yawn. "Yes darling. I know." Helen smiled at her sweet husband then led him to the bathroom. "Go on. I'll be there in a minute."

…

Helen was feeling much better about herself lately. She was more comfortable with her husband now that she felt sexually competent and she was relearning to cook from Big Guy. After a few disasters she managed to make Nikola's favorite dish. "Sarma! What did you put in it?" Knowing that he didn't eat red meat she told him she had put only rice and herbs. "Who taught you to make cabbage rolls? You've never made them before. They take forever." She smiled at his childlike delight, served him a couple cabbage rolls with a boiled potato then poured him a Premier Cru. "Helen, you found the wine cellar." He smiled charmingly as he tasted the fine vintage. "Mhm! Excellent, you always did have great taste in wine." Helen beamed at the compliments. Henry smiled and complimented her on her cooking as well. "I've never had anything like it before. What kind of recipe is it?" Helen thanked him and said, "It's a common dish in Eastern Europe. This is the Serbian version, but they have it in Germany too. My father told me grandmother used to make it." Nikola shook his head, "You never told me that. I'm glad to still be learning new things about you. And I'm grateful you remember your father. He was a good man." Helen nodded solemnly. "I'm grateful too."

…

Helen was hiding in the bathroom crying silently. The fundraiser was going well enough, no thanks to her. Accustomed as he was to separating rich people from their money in order to fund his often dubious projects, Nikola charmed strangers with the ease of a professional con artist. Meanwhile, she was hardly able to make small talk. After falling on her face for the first half hour she ended up finding her husband and letting him steer her around the floor like arm candy until she excused herself to go to the ladies' room. All she could think was how disappointing she must be. That other Helen Magnus, she was so smart. Educated, vivacious, assertive and strong. And she was gone. It had been months since the accident and everyone kept saying that she needed to be patient, that she would recover, but she wasn't recovering. Or rather, she had gotten a lot better, but she hadn't gone back to being her former self. Sitting there on the toilet, she realized that she had to let go of the expectation that she ever would. The only problem was, would everyone else let the old her go too?

…

"Will is in physical therapy now. The doctor's said he won't be able to walk unassisted, but they're getting him a good wheel chair and training his upper body a lot. He'll be out of the hospital in a couple weeks they said." Nikola's head shot up from his work bench at Henry's announcement. "Really? Well, good, I'm ready to get back to inventing." Henry chuckled, "Are you sure man? The Sanctuary seems like a tight ship lately. You finally got everything running smoothly." Nikola scoffed. "Begging for money brought back too many bad memories. I felt dirty afterward. Had to take a shower." He quickly assembled the casing of the stunner he was fixing and asked rakishly, "Wanna go down to the range and test it out?" Henry whooped, "Hell yeah! The mice will play while the cat's away!"

…

Nikola came to their room early that night. He seemed excited about something. "Will's coming back next Friday. You've always liked him. I'm not sure why, but it will make everything around here a lot easier. And the Sanctuary will start going on missions again. I'll let Will deal with recruiting a new team for that." Helen nodded, unsure what to make of the news. Would Will's presence make her seem even more useless than she already was? Or would the increase in missions mean that they would need her help with caring for new abnormals?

"That's good." She said diffidently getting to her feet and helping her husband get undressed. She was already in her nightgown. Once he was down to his boxers he kissed and hugged her, sliding his hands over her back to her bottom. With a mischievous smile he gave her a little squeeze, making her squeal and jump. They laughed a bit then she fiddled with the bow on her nightgown. "Do you want to do anything tonight?" Nikola kissed her then asked casually, "What do you want me to do?" Uncomfortable with having to ask for what she wanted directly, she tried to deflect a bit. "We'll do whatever you want. What you've always wanted to do…" Nikola got the hint right away. "Can I tie you up?" She quickly nodded. "Can I-I'll whip you very lightly, not very much." "It's okay Nikola, I know you wouldn't hurt me." He went to the closet and got the restraints. The front of his boxers was already tenting, he was so excited.

Helen allowed her husband to lead her to the end of the bed and let him slip the padded cuffs around her ankles and wrists. "Strip." He ordered. The alacrity with which she obeyed made him want to push her to her knees before him and cum on her face. "Good girl." He crooned as he secured her to the posts of the bed so that she was standing spread eagled. "God, you look so hot." He slapped her full, white bottom lightly watching it jiggle enticingly. "Are you ready?" he queried, hoping she wouldn't lose her resolve. "Yes dear. Please whip me for your pleasure." He groaned. She was so submissive. It was like she lived only to please him. "Such a good girl." He grabbed the whip and gently gave her a smack. She jumped a little in surprise but quickly settled. "Harder?" he asked huskily. "Ok." She whispered. He gave her a solid strike and she gasped softly. "Was that too much?" "No, that was fine." He nodded satisfied then began whipping her at a slow pace, savoring the way her soft body shivered and squirmed, enjoying her soft cries. After twelve strokes he put his hand between her spread legs and probed her plump sex, pressing his fingers between the furry lips. It was just a little bit wet. "Getting ready for my dick, is that it? Do you want me to fuck you?" Helen breathed, "Yes, please." And tried to press herself back against his hips.

He unbuckled her wrists and pushed her upper body down onto the bed, exposing her widely spread cunt. He yanked down his boxers and grabbed his hard erection in his hand guiding it into her, splitting her open. She yelped as he pressed into her, but this time despite her walls gripping and resisting his thrusting dick he felt her starting to give. "Oh fuck! Take it deeper…" he groaned as he pulled out and worked his way deeper into her. She squirmed and wriggled on the end of his cock, then let out short breathless moans with every thrust he gave her. Finally, he made it all the way in, her hot body embracing him lusciously. "Do you enjoy me using you for my pleasure like this?" he rasped as he fucked her roughly. "Oh god! Yes, I'm here for you to use!" she cried passionately, sobbing as he slapped her ass hard. "Mm, darling, you're so good…" With a final deep thrust he shot his load inside her then collapsed sweaty and exhausted over her back.

Helen lay docilely under her husband, letting him enjoy satisfying his needs on her. Her pussy was throbbing and sore, stretched around his hard manhood. Gradually, she felt him soften within her. Finally he sighed and got off of her, pulling out of her. She lay there quietly feeling the wetness of his seed sliding out of her. "Mm, you look gorgeous like this." Nikola murmured then started unbuckling her ankles.

As she curled up on the bed he rubbed her legs briskly, taking away any soreness. His hands slowed to gentle caresses and he whispered intensely, "Do you want me to make you cum?" Helen shook her head, worried that she wouldn't be able to orgasm and he'd be disappointed. "Don't worry, I can do it," he wheedled. "I used to give you so many that you had to beg me to stop…" His hand wandered up her leg to cup her damp sex. "No! I'm not her!" she cried pushing his hand away. Nikola was brought up short. "What? You're you. You're Helen Magnus." Helen's blue eyes met his own. They were brimming with tears. "I haven't-I couldn't…" She gasped for air as she choked up. "I don't think I can have one. I tried by myself and got nowhere. So, stop expecting me to be like I was before. I'm not!"

Nikola sensed that this was about more than sex and became serious. He nodded resolutely, "Yes, I know you're not like you were." Helen cringed, feeling ashamed. "You're different. I asked you to let me do this to you and you refused before. You weren't comfortable being vulnerable, not ever, not just in sex but in everything. Do you remember that about yourself?" Helen shook her head bemused by the turn this conversation was taking. "It's true that back then I admired you for your strength, but you were never strong enough to trust me with yourself like you have now. And I love it. I love how you're willing and able to give me this. It makes me…I feel like you accept every part of me, that you're willing to see all of me."

Helen nodded but was uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. It seemed to her that Nikola was making this all about himself. "Okay," she said doubtfully, "I understand. I'm getting tired and I'm going to get ready for bed." She got off the bed and went to the bathroom, closing the door after herself. Nikola huffed annoyed by her dismissive air. "Okay. I understand." He parroted mockingly then got in bed. "Whatever you want Helen. You're still the boss of me." He muttered to himself as he fell asleep.

…

Helen was hiding in the labyrinth in the garden. Everyone seemed to be pressuring her to try and 'get back to normal.' Nikola had been asking her how her studies were going. She lied and said fine. Actually, she'd given up after finding herself reading the same page over and over and still not being focused enough to remember anything from it. In several weeks she had managed the first two chapters of a basic microbiology textbook. Apparently there was a steep learning curve starting in chapter three.

Henry had been sucked into one of his enthusiasms and was spending all hours of the day and night developing this new computer program for who knew what. He'd asked if she could take over his half of the paperwork that he split with Nikola and she had foolishly agreed. Most of the forms were for securing funding from governmental and non-governmental agencies and were of the type that included elaborate numbered multistep instructions. She was completely swamped after a few days by new forms appearing in the inbox. Eventually, she had had to go back to Henry and admit to not being able to keep on top of it. He tried to give her some pointers but eventually gave up after realizing that she wasn't able to keep the multiple steps in her memory. The look of disappointment on his face made her so upset she had pled illness and left the room.

The only one that hadn't been trying to 'help her recover' was Big Guy. He just helped her learn new recipes and complained about the mess in Nikola's lab. After a while she got the hint and took a look at the conditions in there. Wine glasses and coffee cups littered every available surface. She started picking up after him, in part because it alleviated the burden on Big Guy, but also just to feel like it was something useful she could do.

She'd taken to sitting here alone in the labyrinth whenever the anxiety of dealing with things became too much. At least here she could stop pretending to be something she wasn't. At least here there weren't all those concerned gazes and caring questions. She just wanted to be left alone. Stop asking how she was feeling. Stop asking if she were working on recovering. Stop asking how therapy was going. It was going fine, just it wasn't going to make her go 'back to normal.' Whatever that meant.

"Helen? Are you in there?" She sighed softly, recognizing Nikola's voice. Not one moment's peace, she thought. Briefly she entertained the idea of staying silent and hoping he went away, but gave up. After all he could just come inside and see if she were there. "Yes, I'm just relaxing here. It's very peaceful." Nikola appeared at the entrance of the central clearing of the labyrinth. "You're not hiding from me are you?" he asked humorously. She smiled reluctantly. "You got me. I'm hiding from everyone." Nikola came and sat next to her on the marble bench. It was so small he was pressed up against her. "Why? What's wrong?"

Helen huffed and rolled her eyes. "I just want to give up on all this crap. I'm tired. My brain feels tired. And I don't feel right. Everything upsets me for no reason." Nikola nodded, "That's normal for your condition. But you have to keep trying to get better. If you stop putting in any effort you'll never recover." It was the same thing she'd heard again and again ever since she'd come home. She jumped up angrily, "I'm sorry you miss the old Helen so much! Nobody appreciates anything I do, or how much effort it takes me! You're not the one feeling this way, so how do you know what's best anyhow?" She stormed off and went to her room, then locked the door for the first time. Locking Nikola out.

…

Henry came across Tesla in the hallway yelling though the closed door of his and Helen's room. "Helen, be reasonable! You can't continue like this! Let me in!" The burly young man quickly turned tail and went back to his lab. "Trouble in paradise…" he muttered, wondering what their argument was about.

…

After a couple hours of Nikola pounding on the door Helen finally relented and let him in. He was visibly angry. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I've taken care of you all this time and that's all I'm trying to do now. You need to keep trying to get better." Helen slammed the door with a frustrated growl. "You're not listening to anything I say! I'm not going to get much better. It's been what, six months?" Nikola was brought up short. "Well, yeah, I guess that's about-" Helen pushed past him and marched over to their portrait. She pointed sharply at the dark-haired woman with her secretive smile and confident gaze. "Does she look like me?" Nikola raised a brow dubiously, "You're hair is different-" "No! Look at me, really see me." She brought a hand to her cheek, wiping away tears. "Don't you see? Can't you look me in the eyes and just see it? I'm not her. She's not coming back!"

Nikola changed tacks sensing that this conversation was going nowhere fast. "What did the neurologist say?" Helen sighed, "You know what he said…Recovery takes a lifetime…" She slumped, hanging her head, looking so obviously full of despair that Nikola needed to comfort her. He went over to her and gently took her in his arms. "I know you're discouraged, but people have been known to make big improvements in two or five years-" Helen pushed him away gently, then looked up into his eyes. "I feel like a different person. I remember what it was like to be her. Not totally, but enough. And I need a feeling of certainty, of…closure I guess. I want to just, build a new life. I want to be myself."

Her husband looked deeply into her eyes. Ultimately, he realized, he wanted her to be happy. "Are you happy with your life, with the things you're doing…?" He trailed off uncertainly, reflecting on how she was doing the sort of menial Sanctuary tasks that she used to delegate to Kate or Henry. Or himself on occasion if he was honest. The last few months flashed through his mind, especially how happy she was to be complimented on her cooking of all things. Helen Magnus didn't-he stopped that train of thoughts in its tracks. This Helen Magnus did cook, and she enjoyed it. Suddenly he realized that she had been picking up after him for the last couple days.

"Are you cleaning up after me in the lab? Usually it just builds up until Big Guy breaks down and takes all my empties away at the end of the week, but they're gone everyday now…" Helen nodded. He expected her to look embarrassed, but instead she looked proud. "You didn't even notice until now, did you? I'm taking care of you." A warm tightness formed in his chest and tears filled his eyes. "You have been haven't you?" He embraced his wife tightly burying his face in her hair. "Thank you darling, my sweet darling." Helen caressed his neck and whispered in his ear with a smile, "You're welcome dear."

…

Apparently the couple had made up but they were acting really bizarre. Henry had to keep wiping the incredulous expression off his face as he watched Magnus wait on Tesla like an episode of a bad sitcom from the 1950s. 'What the hell did he do to her?!' was all he kept thinking. Eventually, they were alone in the main lab working together on a force field device and he decided it was a good time to bring it up.

"So, you two look happy lately. Any changes I should know about?" Tesla was literally humming while he worked, "Hm? Oh, Helen decided she's going to take a break from studying. It's been causing her too much stress." Henry mulled that over. "Um…well, so long as she's still taking care of her health…" Tesla nodded absently as he screwed some loose wires down, "Yeah, I'm taking her to a neurology appointment tomorrow. I'll be taking the sedan." Henry tsked, "You only want it because of that old beef you had with Magnus, that it should have been your anniversary present." The Serb chuckled, "It's okay, I'm the only one that drives it anymore, and she did let me pick the color."

Henry hummed absently in response, trying to figure out how to broach the subject of Magnus' subservient behavior. Tesla looked him in the eye, opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, then looked away and cleared his throat. "I know what you want to ask. It makes her happy to…" he abruptly stopped, then tried again, "This sort of thing," he gestured to the coffee cup Magnus had given him, "it's something she can do. The strongest memories she has are of her early life. Surely you know what sort of duties women were supposed to perform back then?"

'Duties?' Henry mused incredulously then got side tracked by the idea of other wifely duties and had to derail that train of thought fast. "Oh, that makes sense I guess. Yeah, she must feel a little insecure right now, but it's obvious that she likes having, uh, work to do." Henry turned back to his workbench putting the issue out of his mind through concentrating on precise soldering.

…

Henry got the wheel chair out of the back of the van and brought it over to the passenger side. There was an awkward moment where he had to pick Will up to put him in the chair. Will studiously looked away from him, obviously uncomfortable. Everything would be easier once they installed the wheel chair lift. Once he was in the chair, Will took off heading for the door. "Let me get it for you man." Henry trotted over to try and open the door for his friend but was shoved aside. "No, I can do it." Will snapped then got through the door with a bit of struggle.

The two young men proceeded to the lift then Henry pressed the button, intending to take Will to his room. "No, I want to go to my office." Henry shifted nervously from foot to foot. "Don't you want to get some rest? Tomorrow-" "We must have a huge backlog. I need to start trying to get on top of it." Will wheeled toward the buttons and started reaching for it when Henry blocked him. "You'll need to be trained in the new system anyway, so it's best if you just take the day to get settled." "Oh yeah, I forgot you digitized things. Can't you just go over it with me?" The elevator doors opened to the bedroom level. Henry got out and waited for Will to reluctantly come out. "Tesla will have to go over his half of it with you. And as for my half-" "What do you mean Tesla's half?" Will asked surprised. "We divided the paperwork so that we could handle all our other work." Henry proceeded down the hall toward Will's room forcing the blond to follow. "What about Magnus? Surely she must be doing most of it by now?"

Henry stopped abruptly in the middle of the hall and turned to face what was now essentially his boss. "You know, I made the call not to tell you, so it's best I break it to you. Her brain damage was more severe than I led you to believe; persistent memory loss, inability to concentrate for long, difficulty with complex tasks, poor working memory, and she's…well, she's kinda emotionally fragile I guess you would say. The neurologist says it will likely be a couple years before she can handle much more than what she's doing now. And the psychologist said that it's very important not to stress her out or let her get discouraged." Will nodded solemnly. Things were a lot different than he expected. He sighed and gestured for Henry to continue leading him to his room. This time when the door was opened for him he didn't complain. He had the feeling that he would have his work cut out for him tomorrow dealing with all these changes.

…

Will tapped his fingers aggressively on his desk, wishing he could pace he felt so agitated as he waited for Henry to see him in his office. Finally the burly dark haired man arrived, with a worried look on his face. "What's up, Will?" he asked, seeming so concerned. "What the hell did Tesla do to her?! Making him breakfast, that fucking sandwich and coffee on a goddamn silver tray for lunch?! Asking him all cutesy if he would deign to help her figure out how to check some boxes on her tablet? What the fuck was that? This is either some severe personality change or he's convinced her she's better off being his domestic slave now that she's vulnerable!" Henry was bewildered, "How do you know all that?" Will turned his monitor around to show Henry the security feed. Henry shook his head and pulled a face at the fact that Will was spying on his former boss and her husband.

"That's not cool man. Unless there's some reason, checking security is really my job…" Will tsked disgusted, "Come on, you were here. What's been going on while I've been gone?" The dark-haired man slumped in the chair across from Will. "I know it's super weird for the old Magnus, but you gotta realize that right now cooking is one of the few multistep tasks she can do. It makes her feel good about herself. The tablet thing, well, Tesla only just installed new sensors in all the enclosures. She was probably just seeing some new items on the checklist she goes through when she makes the rounds. And as for the creepy Suzy Homemaker behavior, well, I don't want to know what that's about really. But she seems happy. Actually they're all lovey dovey. It's so gross."

There was a short silence as Will shook his head bewildered by how Henry was either oblivious to the problem or taking Tesla's side. Surely he could see that Helen was in trouble, that Tesla still couldn't be trusted. "I know you think that since he's been devamped he's stopped being…quite so bad, but trust me. I've been observing him since then and the way he acted when he was manic was just an exaggerated version of his normal self. He has a flexible interpretation of the truth, a strong desire for power and control, and just a generally high opinion of himself. He also has a mean streak-" Henry interrupted indignantly, "The other stuff I can agree with but he's not that way with Helen-" "For Christsake, he tried to kill her once!" "That was while he was still sick. Come on Will, you're the psychologist. You know that doesn't count."

Will huffed, "Yeah, I guess that's going too far. I'm upset. I'll acknowledge that, but that doesn't make my point not worth investigating. How do we know he hasn't been discouraging her attempts at recovery? You've got to admit that he looks awfully happy about being waited on hand and foot. And this whole dress up thing they have going on, well, that might have made sense to help bring back her memories, but at this point I'd have to say it's counterproductive. For all we know, Magnus is stuck in some sort of Victorian role of women in marriage idea and Tesla is just reinforcing it because he's enjoying being the boss for once."

The psychologist could tell he was getting to the technician. Now to plant one more seed of doubt. "We both have no idea what goes on behind closed doors with them. Tesla is more than sarcastic. He's verbally abusive. And that's to me and you, people that he's probably restraining himself around. What must he be like to someone he doesn't have to do that with? Someone who's dependent on him to such a degree that she's relying on him to tell her who she is..." Henry groaned, "I don't want to think that kind of thing! She's doing a lot better, and so long as she looks happy and says she's happy, and there's no sign of abuse, then we should mind our own business! It's their relationship. She chose to marry him when she was her old self and I trust the old Magnus' judgement, and so should you!"

Despite the seeming rejection of his suspicions Will felt satisfied. That kind of strong reaction could only mean that Henry had his own doubts that he was trying to deny. Now he would inevitably be on the lookout for any little thing that might indicate coercion or abuse.

…


	3. Chapter 3

Will wheeled up next to Henry at the formal dining table trying to hide his discomfort. Thanksgiving was the last thing he wanted to take part in. Especially with Tesla sitting at the head of the table. The man was extra insufferable smirking at him under that hideous moustache. He looked so damn smug, Will wanted to punch him in the face.

The men waited patiently for Big Guy and Helen to bring out the various dishes on a little cart. Henry had offered to do it for her but Helen had refused, seemingly excited by her first holiday dinner. As they brought out the food Tesla uncorked some champagne with a pop then poured himself a glass. Will shook his head, disgusted as the inventor neglected to offer them any and simply started drinking. "I for one am thankful for the Dom Perignon. Thank you Helen." The cad turned to offer Magnus a kiss absently, then went back to enjoying indulging his obvious alcoholism.

Magnus dished up Tesla's plate for him carefully. The portions were miniscule. Probably to avoid killing his buzz, Will thought disdainfully. The couple exchanged sappy smiles, then she placed all the bowls and platters on the table and instructed them to help themselves. Tesla's special treatment rankled. Was he supposed to be the father in this twisted parody of Leave It to Beaver? Being cast in the role of child along with Henry was particularly galling, given Will's actual position as head of the Sanctuary.

They ate in tense silence for a while until Helen asked her husband tentatively if he liked the stuffing. Finally Will could hold his peace no longer. "He's not the only one eating here. I think it's wonderful. What about you Henry?" Henry nervously nodded trying to let the whole matter blow over as fast as possible. "Yeah Magnus. It's great! Did you guys make the gravy from scratch?" Helen nodded pleased by their praise, "Big Guy gave me his recipe. The stuffing came from a book I found."

There was another awkward lull in the conversation that Will decided was a good time to broach his concerns. "Magnus, I've looked at the data from your daily observations of the residents. Don't you think it's time you started doing more hands on assessments like taking their vitals?" Helen shook her head, "Nikola installed the habitat sensors to do that. And the sentient abnormals have been taking their own vitals as needed. Also, I was told you would be working with the new doctor and veterinarian-" Will interrupted, "That's true, but it's important to the residents that you continue your work. I know those I've talked to have expressed concerns as to when you will speak with them-" "Now is not an appropriate time to talk shop Wilhelm. Why don't you type up these concerns in a report and send it to Helen as a memo. I'm sure that will take care of it." Tesla dismissed the topic with an airy nonchalance.

Will erupted "Who asked you Tesla? I'm speaking to Magnus right now about vital Sanctuary business-" "Yes, and I'm honestly perplexed why you think now is a good time-" "Over six months of stop-gap measures and financial mismanagement-" Tesla suddenly sat up straight, expression deadly serious. "Measure your words, William. What are you accusing me of exactly?" "You went through two years' budget since taking over. The upgrades to the energy system, purchase of state of the art computers, cameras and sensors, they were all unnecessary. All you had to do was stick with Magnus' system-" Tesla raised his voice, "She did sixty percent of everything before; the work I've been splitting with Henry plus the work of three of the four staff members you're supposed to be recruiting right now. How dare you criticize the choices Henry and I had to make-" Will slammed his fist on the table making their horrified audience jump. "Don't give me this horseshit! You'd been begging for these upgrades for weeks before the accident!" "STOP IT!" Helen was sobbing, burying her face in her hands, unable to handle the intensity of her emotions. Everyone at the table turned toward her, concerned as she gasped through her hysterics. "Nikola, take-take me to my room…"

Nikola jumped up, took his crying wife by the arm and led her out of the room. Big Guy snorted disgusted by the conflict and quickly wheeled the meal cart back to the kitchen while Henry glared at Will balefully. "You're a real shithead for upsetting Magnus like that. Even if Tesla did spend too much on equipment it doesn't justify this. Nothing does. Irresponsible, making her cry…" Henry sniffled, shaken by seeing his adoptive mom so vulnerable. He grabbed his plate and left for the safety of his lab leaving Will sitting there all alone.

…

Nikola spent the better part of an hour trying to help Helen calm down. She cried inconsolably, miserable at how inadequate Will had made her feel. Besides that, she felt like she was the source of the conflict at dinner, leaving Nikola in a quandary on how to disabuse her of that notion. "Will and I don't get along. I made…a bad impression on him, and so, he treats me with suspicion. It has nothing to do with you darling. Besides, he's just picking fights because he's upset about how everything has changed. He's not a well man, probably depressed about his circumstances, you know how that is-" Helen wailed even more despairingly and Nikola internally cursed his own idiocy at his clumsy words. "Darling, my treasure, don't cry! Please…don't…" He was utterly at a loss, unable to comfort his wife.

Finally he resorted to distraction. "Don't think of it anymore. Will doesn't matter. Whatever Will thinks doesn't matter. What matters is that I love you. I love you no matter what you're like. Strong, weak, smart, stupid, well or sick. I'll love you forever Helen." He pressed her down on the bed and kissed her deeply. She calmed down a bit as he attempted to prove his love for her. As they parted for air she asked in a small voice, "Do you really mean it? Haven't I been a burden to you all this time?" Nikola shushed her and caressed her hair. "If you ever were a burden I'd carry you gladly. You-I know it's cliché, but it's true, you make me a better man. I've worked as hard as I ever have taking care of you, but if the reward is this bliss…" He kissed her neck intensely, breathing in the scent of her body, her hair.

Helen sniffled and held Nikola to her. Gradually she began to feel a bit foolish for overreacting to the ugly scene Will caused. Everything was fine. Her husband loved her. Her adoptive son was happy for her. Her Sasquatch best friend enjoyed working with her to keep the house running smoothly. "All I'm missing is a pet," she murmured. "Hmm?" her husband paused momentarily in his mission to strip her of her clothes. "Nothing dear. I was just thinking how wonderful my life is." Nikola chuckled against her chest and pulled her up to take off her blouse. "Let's make it even more wonderful!" he exclaimed as he tugged off her skirt leaving her in her underwear. Helen giggled as he threated to tickle her sides with a ridiculously exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows. "You look like you're about to tie me to a train traaack!" she squealed when he actually did tickle her. "There's no escape for you my sweet!" he played along with her silly melodrama, tickling her mercilessly until she begged him to stop.

After she caught her breath he reached under her to unhook her bra. She helped him take off her underwear then lay there next to him expectantly. "Just a sec…" he murmured and got up to take off his clothes, aware of her eyes following his every move, caressing every inch of skin as he revealed it. God, she was hot. He crawled on top of her, inserting his knees between hers and settling his body comfortably between her softly rounded thighs. He caressed the silky skin, so close to her sex, watching her reaction carefully. She shifted her hips toward his hand minutely and he smiled knowingly at her. "Ah, ah, ah! I intend to take my time with you…" he kissed her softly then descended to her breast. "Look up Helen. Watch as I make love to you." He whispered then began to suckle.

Helen watched in the mirror over the bed as her husband's slim fingers covered her full breast, squeezed and massaged it firmly, then delicately pinched her soft pink nipple, rolling it between his long thumb and finger until it hardened. She moaned as he simultaneously pulled hard on her other nipple with his mouth, making her arch against the bed, the tightening arousal shooting from her breasts to her vagina. "Oh god! That's…" she moaned as he worked her nipples ruthlessly. She began to feel a pleasurable ache between her legs and began pressing her wet sex against her husband's stomach. The sight of her husband spread over her, masterfully manipulating her body, making the tenderest parts of her swell and sing with pleasure was overwhelmingly arousing.

She moaned with disappointment when the slim, dark haired man in the mirror pulled off of her and scooted lower on the bed. What was he…? Suddenly it became clear as he took the lips of her vulva in both hands and pulled them apart. Seized with shyness, Helen tried to close her legs, but her husband pressed her thighs gently but firmly apart. "Let me see. It's so sexy…mm, please Helen?" he wheedled, kissing the juncture of her thigh and hip, coming so close to that most private of places. "It's dirty." She whispered feeling embarrassed. "Darling, no part of you could ever be disgusting to me. Let me." Helen looked into the warm sincerity of his steel blue eyes. Gradually she relaxed, spreading her legs for him. He smiled that sharp toothy smile and took a long look at her pink pussy.

"Fuck Helen, so fucking hot!" Shocking her to the core he pressed his tongue into her, tasting the raw wet flesh. "Oh god! What-?!" "Shh, watch me kiss you here." He commanded then got back to licking her thoroughly. He found her hard little button and pressed it over and over with his tongue, forcing a moan from deep in her throat. She threw her head back as he sucked on her clit, the tight throbbing of her arousal becoming all encompassing. "Watch!" he demanded then continued tormenting her with his skilled lips, tongue and teeth. She watched with pleasure drenched disbelief as her husband's dark head moved between her thighs. The wanton woman in the mirror couldn't be her. Two milky white breasts heaved with passion. Long blond curls spilled endlessly over a backdrop of black silk. A sweaty, reddened face stared back at her, eyes clouded with lust, lips parted voluptuously with every gasp.

Her husband laid his wiry body over her luscious curves. "My Venus! Here I come…" he muttered with a grin as he grasped his manhood in one hand, balancing himself over her with the other. He quickly found her entrance and sank deeply into her drenched cunt. "Agh! God, you're wet!" Helen had never taken him so readily before. He buried his face in her shoulder and humped her rapidly. She watched the animalistic scene reflected in the mirror hardly able to believe the ecstasy she was experiencing at being so used. She wrapped her legs around his slim, frantically thrusting hips, letting him jostle her roughly until he paused briefly to put his thumb on her clit. He thrust into her again and again, simultaneously rubbing her clit, making her keen with pleasure. Her body tightened, belly spasming as she began to feel an overwhelming pressure in her loins. "Oh god! Nikola stop! I can't!" He ignored her protests and pushed her further, increasing his efforts until she tightened around him and screeched, her eyes screwed shut, her face and chest flushing bright red. Unable even to speak, Nikola watched spellbound as this sex goddess came around his cock. Finally, she gasped and opened her eyes. He let go of her pussy and thrust rapidly into her twitching cunt, watching her face carefully as he blew his load in her.

Afterward he lay quietly next to her and gently stroked her hand. They looked at each other in the mirror. Nikola smiled so ridiculously widely that Helen couldn't help but grin back. He winked at her and a giggle burst out of her mouth. "I love you!" she exclaimed and turned to hug him. "You're the best!" she whispered as she kissed his ear, making him shiver with delight.

…

Will had noticed that Magnus was avoiding him. He supposed that he deserved it for upsetting her, but it made it difficult to speak with her about her mental state. Really, she was the responsibility of that psychologist Dr. Newman, but Will couldn't help but feel that Magnus should be his patient. He couldn't even ask about her status because of doctor patient confidentiality. How was he supposed to cope with being so out of the loop? With his need to know more about how Tesla was manipulating her foremost in his mind, he arranged to run into her during her duties in the SHU.

The basement levels were always a little spooky, but the Special Housing Unit for dangerous abnormals was the most of all. Helen found it downright frightening, but had become accustomed to pushing herself to do it. After all, it was a task that alleviated the burden on her already overtaxed husband and son. She was feeding the Manticore when an unexpected person appeared. "Will, is there something you need?" she asked cooly. The young blond man looked rather shame faced, "I just wanted to apologize for Thanksgiving. I shouldn't have brought up my concerns with our finances then. It wasn't appropriate." Helen nodded grudgingly. "Yes, well, if that is all…"

Will sighed, "Magnus, I miss our talks. We used to be close. And now, I feel like we don't know each other at all anymore." "You're right there. You don't know me. Just because I wear her face and have her name doesn't mean that I'm her." The psychologist frowned, troubled by the blatant dissociation his boss was exhibiting. "Is that what you've come to believe? That you're a different individual than before?" Helen nodded quickly and moved on to the baby basilisk's enclosure.

"It's obvious that you still have the love and concern for your charges that you've always had. They need you." Her hands shook slightly as she measured out the feed. "They have me. I'm here aren't I? Caring for them, even when others are afraid. Even when I am afraid." Will hummed thoughtfully, "Yes, they are quite deadly. It's natural to be frightened. But sometimes, I have to say, I appreciate the honesty of a mouth full of fangs. More often than not in our line of work, it is the prettiest faces and sweetest smiles that hide the worst treachery…"

The tall woman brushed off her hands and faced Will directly, looking down her regal nose at him in his wheelchair. "And which are you? A mouth full of fangs or a pretty face? Either way, you strike me as a dangerous man when you put your mind to it." Will pointed to his chest, eyes widened with disbelief. "What do you mean? I only want to make sure you're safe. Nothing more. Let me into your confidence as before. Surely, you must trust your previous self and her judgement?" A flash of doubt passed over her face. "I suppose…" They stood in silence for a moment until Helen asked the question she had been wondering all this time. "Why do you hate Nikola so much? He's never been anything but good to me."

Will looked down and took a deep breath. "He is highly motivated to be on your good side right now. In the past it hasn't always been so. And, his…impulses…they tend to fluctuate depending on what works to his advantage. Once to my knowledge, he professed to love you and when you disagreed with his plans he threatened to kill you. It was during his vampiric mania, but even when that came to an end, he still continued to berate his coworkers and occasionally treat you with self-centered scorn. After you married, he pushed to have more say in how Sanctuary money is spent and you had to constantly keep him in line. Besides that, he often bends the truth-" The psychologist saw recognition in her eyes. She had seen it for herself then. "-and for all I know, outright breaks it. He's much more clever about his deceptions now that he's not manic. He has a higher level of inhibition and self-discipline and an extremely calculating mind."

Helen picked up her equipment and turned to leave. "Thank you for your advice Doctor. I think that you have your reasons for the way you feel, and maybe they are grounded in some truth, but I am loyal to my husband. Thankfully, the responsibility of managing Sanctuary finances is now yours, so I have no stake in it. And as for our personal life, if Nikola is manipulating me to better please himself, I am not too worried. After all, he is taking good care of me as well. And frankly, I am enjoying my life with him. Maybe he wasn't able to be a consistently good man in the past, but I think he is now." Magnus left him behind again as he was forced to wheel after her. She let the doors of the lift close before him, leaving him with his thoughts.

Will sighed exasperated. "Well, at least she heard my concerns and is aware of them. Maybe she'll be on her guard now."

…

"This budget is outrageous! What am I supposed to be able to afford with this!" Will suppressed a smirk and droned over Tesla's hysterics, "You'll just have to make do with the supplies we have on hand. Otherwise how will we get back in the black?" Tesla slammed his hand on the desk, "Fuck you, you goddamn bean counter! Raise some more! I'm this close to perfecting a small scale teleporter!" Will openly laughed in the inventor's face. "Sure you are. I can't hit up our benefactors so soon and you know it. Work on that force field thing with Henry, or don't work at all. Frankly, I don't care. You're redundant here in my opinion and now that I'm allocating the funds my preference is to give the money to outreach and education. Now if you don't mind Henry and I have a teleconference with Declan in a moment. Let yourself out." Tesla spat a series of Serbian curses then stormed out, smacking Henry with the door on his way out.

"Ow! Where's the fire?" Henry shuffled into Will's office rubbing his arm. "You told him there's no money to buy more platinum, huh? Well, I told him you wouldn't go for his teleportation device, though it would be useful to be able to send stunners or power packs to someone stuck in a cell or whatever…" Will waved away Henry's technological daydream, "I need you to focus on the Praxian translation program to the exclusion of all else. It's important to be prepared for possible refugees." Henry hummed disappointed. "You know that languages are more Tesla's specialty…I just write the code. Do you really want me to try and get him on board-?" "Yes, you're in charge of tech from now on. Magnus might have had him nominally above you but her priorities were more along the lines of rescues and acquisitions. We have too much catch up to do in that area as it is, so let's focus on preparing for the future, okay?" Henry raised an eyebrow doubtfully then sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair. "Alright. Give me the easy jobs why don't you…" he muttered as he headed out the door back to the labs.

…

Nikola was sulking near the fireplace with his second glass of brandy. It had been a long time since he had tasted strong liquor. After he had lost his vampirism he had experienced a short lived depression and had indulged, in part due to angst and in part due to the mere novelty of being able to get drunk again. Helen had been most irate at his binge but told him she wasn't his keeper and let him be. Eventually, he went too far and gave himself a hangover. After that he gave it up as a bad job, at least until now.

"Ah, Nikola? Did you want anything to eat? I didn't see you at dinner…" Helen asked softly. He waved her off, "I'm not hungry." His wife took in his morose look and sat lightly across from him in a matching wing chair. She opened her mouth starting to say something several times, but closed it again, unable to come up with a suitable topic of conversation. Finally, her husband took pity on her or else the brandy loosened his tongue. He refilled his glass then spoke, softly slurring his words. "It's like Morgan all over again, gotta beg, borrow and steal to make the slightest progress…But that's just it! I can't make any progress without that damned platinum!" He paused to down the rest of his brandy, then looked her right in the eyes.

"How am I supposed to build the future without adequate support!? Will just lacks any kind of vision. Pedestrian fool with his mundane concerns…" He put his glass down a little too hard on the side table then leaned forward to take Helen's hand. "At least you humored me a bit. Let me loose sometimes to follow my dreams…You've always understood me, darling." He kissed her palm softly, then slumped back in his chair, drifting off into an alcoholic haze. "I wish you were still with me…that you were still in charge…I loved you in charge…"

Helen left him there to sleep off his drunken state, her brow furrowed and eyes downcast as she made her way back to their room.

…

Nikola woke to a splitting headache and an empty bed. "Ugh...that's...strange." How had Helen managed to get up before him? The Serbian inventor only slept four hours or so a night, going to bed at the same time as his wife then generally sneaking off to his lab by four thirty. Finding Helen gone...had she waited for him to fall asleep then left? Where had she gone, and why would she leave like that?

After searching the house and grounds he anxiously headed to the garage. The sedan was missing. Whipping out his cellphone he called Henry, "Helen is gone, she took the Model S." "I don't fucking care what time it is! Helen is gone!" "No, she left her phone behind." "I don't know where she would have gone! That's why I'm calling you! Isn't there some tracking device on the car or something?!" "Don't tell me to calm down! She shouldn't be driving at all. Oh my god-" he choked, swallowing a sob, and tried to force himself to calm down by breathing deeply. "She-where would she go?"

Henry sputtered, "There must be some kinda clue! What happened before she left? Did you guys have a fight or something?" Tesla cursed then said, "No, not that I remember. I was drunk-Fuck! What did I do?!" Henry groaned and put the phone down momentarily, trying to get ahold of his frustration. "Why the fuck did you have to go and do that?" he muttered angrily under his breath then brought the phone back up to his ear once he could manage to speak without yelling. "Ok, let's think this through. Does she have any appointments with anyone today? Maybe she went in early or something."

Tesla checked his phone. "Nothing in our calendar. She-she, oh god, call Will. Maybe he knows something." Henry hung his head silently as his mentor pleaded with him. "Alright. Yeah." He hung up and called Will, waking him up. "Magnus took off in the sedan. Tesla's hysterical right now, can't remember anything that might have set her off. We've got no way to track her and no ideas where she might have gone." "Okay, I'll tell him to meet us there."

...

Henry turned away from the security screen to see Tesla come through the door. "Did you see anything?" the scientist asked urgently. Will shook his head angrily, "Just you drowning yourself in brandy, saying something to her that made her look really sad, then her leaving you passed out on the couch until a couple hours later you dragged yourself off to bed. Then twenty minutes later the hall camera shows her leaving and going into the garage." "What time?" Will sighed, "At around 2:30." Tesla paled, "I-I'm going, I have to go find her." Will scowled and sighed with disgust, "Yeah, we'll call her therapists, the hospital and all that. You should make a systematic search of the surrounding streets."

...

The moment Tesla left Will turned to Henry and jabbed his finger accusingly in the air. "What did I tell you! That drunken prick finally went too far! God only knows what he said to her to make her take off like this. We've both seen how emotional she is, how reactive she can be. And now, just because he didn't get the money he wanted, Tesla got wasted and took out his frustration on her!"

Henry paced and whined anxiously. "Look, let's just make those calls, find out if she's in the emergency room-" "If she's there it's his fault! What if she did something to hurt herself? She has been depressed-" Henry groaned and chopped his hand wildly through the air, "No! She's been happy, they've been happy-"

Will slammed his fist down on the arm of his wheel chair. "Her mood has been unstable! Look, you let Tesla manage her recovery and it was a mistake. I know you don't want to believe that, but it's clear. He only cares about himself! All the time we've known him, he's been obsessed with Magnus, constantly trying to get closer to her, influence her decisions. Why? It's all for her money! We both know that she's a reliable source of funding for him, maybe the only one he's got left after he lost his vampirism-"

Henry shook his head, "This is a waste of time. I'm calling the hospital."

...

Tesla stormed into the room demanding to see his wife. "Sit down first." Henry said softly, gesturing to the chair in his lab. Tesla paused for a moment, mouth open as though to argue then furrowed his brow and quickly sat across from the young hap. "I-I don't want to say this, but I have to ask..." Henry sniffed and glanced uncomfortably into worried gray-blue eyes then down at his lap. "How often are you drunk around Helen?"

Nikola was taken aback. "I don't drink brandy around her. It was really just this once and well you know, when I lost..." he trailed off uncertainly, then continued on another tack, "It's just wine with food-" "You don't eat very much. Hardly eat at all actually." Henry interrupted, then sniffed again. "You smell sort of drunk all the time, do you know that?" An awkward silence hung over the room.

"You're lucky she came back safe, you know that right?" Henry asked softly, almost as though he was embarrassed for his erstwhile mentor. The rail thin older man nodded sharply once then swallowed hard. He spoke, "I was irresponsible." "Yes, you were." Henry interrupted, "You need to talk to Dr. Newman. We all need to know that you are...reliable. Magnus needs you to do better." Nikola nodded slowly, "Whatever I need to do, I'll do it."

...


	4. Chapter 4

The psychologist sized up the man in front of her. Having so few patients she found little need to take physical notes, instead recording them in her mind alone.

_A middle aged appearing male. Underweight. No history of hyperthyroidism, etc. Referred due to suspected alcoholism. No tremor. Dark circles under the eyes indicating sleeplessness but denies insomnia. Self-reported as having 'ludomania' (gambling addiction) during college and notes intrusive, obsessive thoughts and anxiety. First time seeing a psychologist. Stated goal, returning to his wife's side during her recovery from traumatic brain injury. _

"I think you'd appreciate me getting right to business, so let's get started. I see that you complained of intrusive thoughts and anxiety. What do you do when you are bothered by these thoughts?" The tall well-dressed man across from her smiled with rather insincere charm. "I work. Working has always helped me distract myself from any worries. After all, it's best to take action-" Dr. Newman raised her hand, "Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to tell me what these thoughts are about specifically."

The overly wide smile froze on his handsome face, "Ah, it's just unimportant stuff. Things I know aren't true, but keep coming to mind." She let the silence stretch and watched as the smile disappeared. "I'd rather not talk about it. It's personal." She nodded slowly, then changed tacks. "Alright, how about your drinking. I see in your chart that you've been referred by Dr. Zimmerman, your boss-" She noted the angry look that flashed over his thin face then continued, "He suspects that you are an alcoholic. Do you think that's a fair description?" "Absolutely not. I don't binge, at least not often. When, very, very occasionally some terrible thing has happened to me, I might have overindulged in a little brandy, but it's only human, isn't it?" He said the last in such a bitter tone of voice that she was slightly taken aback.

"I sense that you wish you were a bit better than 'only human' is that right?" He smiled darkly, "Yes. Precisely." Dr. Newman felt a chill run down her spine, suddenly feeling not quite safe, until that predatory look seamlessly melted back into the charming grin and he said, "I believe in high standards, don't you?" She nodded slowly, then asked carefully, "I think then that maybe you let yourself down two days ago then?" He suddenly became quite serious and sad. "Yes, I shouldn't have done that, shouldn't have said such a thing...My wife feels insecure since the accident you see, and I said that I missed how she used to be. I was so drunk I didn't realize, I couldn't even remember..." He wrung his hands, looking down, obviously ashamed.

Dr. Newman found herself feeling genuine compassion for him for the first time. This was the key to him then; the love he felt for his wife. "Are you willing to work with me, to better yourself, to make sure such a thing never happens again?" A determined gaze me her own. "Yes, I'll do it."

...

"Why do you want to know so much about my childhood anyway? Just read my biography." Mr. Tesla frowned, obviously annoyed by her line of questioning. She tried to maintain a straight expression. "I assure you that I have, but I'm also aware that people generally put themselves in the best light in an autobiography, not to mention the fact that there are things too personal to include-" "Then why would I want to share things like that with you?" Mr. Tesla snapped at her. Dr. Newman let him stew for a moment then said simply, "Have you told your wife about these things?"

Mr. Tesla sighed and muttered, "She knows that I had...problems, but I grew out of most of it and the rest I learned how to compensate-" "Does she know that you starved yourself from a young age?" The Serbian flushed, "No, because that's not what happened," he ground out angrily. "I was trying to..." He trailed off, unwilling to continue. Dr. Newman watched him carefully, sensing that there was something vital there. She decided to apply some pressure, "This is important. I need to know what you were doing and why. Why did you restrict your eating back then? Why do you still do it today? Some people develop dual disorders of anorexia and alcoholism. You certainly show every symptom."

"That's not true! I am not an alcoholic! I just drink wine with meals, and I'm just not used to eating a lot. You know that I could hardly eat at all for over a century. Why won't you just believe me?" He seemed completely sincere but she needed to make progress with him. "Alright, I believe you have mitigating circumstances, and most people don't understand them, but you admitted that you started restricting how much you ate from a young age. Obviously that was well before you became a vampire. Did it help alleviate your anxiety after your brother-" "I really don't want to talk about it! Please, I just-can't we talk about something else?" He was starting to look a bit panicky, so she decided to give it a rest.

"Alright, why don't we talk about your gambling addiction in college. What happened just before-" Mr. Tesla interrupted again, "No, I really don't want to talk about that either." Dr. Newman sighed frustrated, "Look, I know you're having a hard time here, that this wasn't your choice, but if you want to be a part of your wife's life again, you have to give me something to work with here. What are your anxious thoughts about?"

He stared at her quietly for several long moments. Finally, he opened his mouth and said softly, "I see people I care about getting hurt. Then I get the thought that it's my fault, because I'm a bad person. Then I think that I should have been able to prevent it, or that I need to do something to fix it. Everyone I care about, I have these thoughts about them, so I try not to, have too many...I don't get close to very many people." He went silent again, his eyes tired and sad.

Dr. Newman nodded gently, "How often do these images bother you?" He cleared his throat and gathered himself, "Oh, most of the time, unless my attention is taken up by something else. It used to be a lot worse though. I'd have the thought that I had to do any particular activity three times or my friends would get hurt or die. I would end up doing it just to make the thought go away for a while. But I haven't had problems like that for over fifty years; not since I took up meditation." Dr. Newman smiled, "That's wonderful you found such an effective coping strategy."

Apparently now that the ice was broken he felt more comfortable talking about his difficulties, "It does make it difficult to fall asleep unless I'm really very tired. That's part of the reason why I don't sleep very much and why I swim every day." Dr. Newman hummed, pleased with his honesty. "Thank you for telling me about this. I really think that this information will help bring the separation from your wife to an end sooner." Mr. Tesla nodded, "I certainly hope so."

...

"Today I wanted to ask about how your relationship with your wife has changed since the accident. I understand that she was quite different before." "Yes, she was very independent, strong and fiery. Extremely challenging and well, forceful." The man described his wife with a rueful smile. "Now she...she is obviously quite anxious after what happened to her. It must have been frightening, and she came so close to death...it's, well, she's very different than she was. " She had never heard him stumble over his words so much before. "How would you describe her personality now?"

Mr. Tesla sighed and buried his face in his hands momentarily. "Uh, she gets upset easily and stays upset longer. She asks for reassurance constantly. She has difficulty focusing on reading for very long. Well, I'm not sure that is really about personality. The neurologist said that learning difficulties were...inevitable..." He looked desperately sad as he said that final word. Dr. Newman asked delicately, "Was your relationship based a great deal on your scientific work together, your intellectual pursuits?" He nodded and sighed frustrated, "But, that doesn't matter now. She's different yes, but she is still my wife and she needs me more than ever. She needs me to make her feel good about herself, to feel safe. She needs to know she can count on me to take care of her. I just wish I hadn't-been-so stupid and selfish-"

To Dr. Newman's shock her usually guarded patient was choking up. She grabbed the box of tissues and handed it to him. He angrily wiped his face and apologized, "Sorry, I'm just, I miss her so much. I'm worried about her." She nodded and said sympathetically, "It's perfectly understandable." After a moment or two she asked quietly, "Have you taken the time to grieve?" Her patient looked up surprised, "What? She didn't die-" "I'm aware, but the Helen you married is gone. It must hurt a great deal to have lost her." He sat there frozen, a horrified look in his eyes then stuttered, "Y-yes, it, it's awful. I miss her...God, I miss her!" His voice broke as tears ran down his cheeks. "I wish I'd never let her go on that trip. Why didn't she let me go instead? I asked her if I could do more fundraising for her. She shot me down, rolled her eyes at me and everything." He laughed bitterly, "Just another one of my sneaky ulterior motives, I'm sure!"

She let him clean himself up before asking a follow up question, "Did she have reason to distrust you?" He just nodded. "Oh, I guess I forgot to mark it on the form. I was apparently extremely manic the whole time I was a vampire. A side effect I suppose, or maybe all vampires are like that. Certainly explains a lot of their history..." He trailed off morosely. Dr. Newman interjected, "Lies, grandiose delusions, violence?" He nodded sharply, "Yes, to all of them. Though I was most dangerous when we first got back together. I had run out of the medication I was taking for it." Dr. Newman nodded, "I see why she might have been in the habit of not giving in to you." "Yes, she was always giving me a lot of push back."

Dr. Newman hummed thoughtfully, "What is it like not to get that anymore?" Her patient looked to the side pensively. "It's a heavy burden to bear. I've been worried I would screw this up, let her down, let her get hurt again. And now, now I have. And I miss the equality we had. Though that's not really...I don't think that we're unequal...it's just that before we were the same, two of a kind. Now we're not. I'm having to be the oak and she's the ivy. Before we were separate and equal; two individuals coming together in a partnership with definite limits and a definite power structure. She was my boss before she was ever my wife, and she let me know it all the time. And now, I don't know what the limits are. It's like there's less and less space between what's me and what's her. And I don't exert any power over her, at least not that I know of. She still has all the power over me, it's just the opposite sort of power than the kind she used to have, I think."

"So, what I'm hearing from you is that this experience, in addition to being a kind of loss, has also resulted in you and your wife becoming closer." He nodded. "And, that's anxiety producing for you, because you're worried about hurting the people you love." He sniffed and softly said, "Yes." Dr. Newman nodded thoughtfully then asked the crucial question, "So, how have you been able to cope with all this pressure so far? And why did it all break down and you ended up on a binge?" He shook his head frustrated, "I didn't have time to fuck things up. Helen did so much of the work of the Sanctuary that I was utterly swamped dealing with all of that plus taking care of her. There wasn't one spare moment...until Will got back..."

"Ah, you mean Dr. Zimmerman. He returned from the hospital and took up many of the duties that you had been occupying yourself with. Then when you tried to go back to your regular work I understand that he put you into enforced idleness. Given that distracting yourself with work is how you cope with your anxiety and negative thoughts, doesn't it follow that this is why you became overwhelmed and went on a binge?" Nikola nodded slowly, then said, "It doesn't excuse what I did." His psychologist nodded back, "But it does explain it, and once we know cause and effect we can make a plan to prevent it from happening again."

...

"Tell me about your work. I understand that you first wanted to become an inventor during your youth. Tell me more about what inventing means to you." Dr. Newman watched her patient's face carefully, looking for tell tale expressions that might give away his secret motivations.

"Well, inventions not only make life easier, faster or more convenient, they also make the world a much cleaner, safer and more comfortable place. They help people have more time to spend with each other instead of being occupied with drudgery. They prevent disease, injury, famine, etcetera. Really, invention is about enhancing survival. It gives the individual or group an edge over the dangers of life."

She watched as his expression came alive with passion, his eyes sharp and intense as he described the power that invention had for him. "Yes, I see. And, what did your family think about your ambitions to become an inventor?" He laughed, "Well, they thought it was the fancy of a young boy, of no consequence and soon to pass, but it never passed! It only grew and grew until it became an all consuming passion. For many, many years I thought of nothing but my inventions. They were everything to me, more important than relationships, the past or my present circumstances, more important than anything."

She nodded, "Yes, you talk a great deal about the possibilities for the future that your inventions hold in your autobiography. But what about how you disregarded the present? Do you ever think that perhaps you missed out, that you neglected your friends and family during much of your life?" He shrugged, "Yes, but sacrifices needed to be made. And inventing made me so happy, it was hardly a burden. At least until...well, after the war, I did feel regret."

The bitter, morose look on his face invited comment. "Many people felt disillusioned after World War Two. The personal losses, and the loss of faith in science and progress was universal." He cut her off with a sharp gesture, "The Ustashe killed members of my family! Perverted the theory of evolution to try and justify-ha! as if anything could justify that! And the Allies, did they sweep in and save the day? No, just violated and debased nature with their infernal bomb. I warned them they were courting destruction by splitting the atom! But they had to win and wouldn't give my ideas the time of day until it was too late. Then both sides began their manhunt, but I would have no part in their Cold War, so I died. I ran. I hid and bided my time..." He trailed off, eyes staring off into the distance vacantly, overcome with memories.

"Where did you go? I imagine it must have been somewhere incredibly isolated, to be able to hide from both the USSR and the United States governments." His eyes snapped up to her face. "Oh, I went to Nepal, joined a monastery there." He left it at that, leaving a yawning silence in the room until she asked slowly, "Were you there the entire sixty years?" He nodded, "The monks were surprised that I didn't age, but accepted me the way I a-uh, the way I was." She nodded, then asked delicately, "And did you find what you were looking for while you were there?"

He shook his head quickly, "No, I just learned not to react to my thoughts and got pretty good at Tummo." At her confused look he explained, "That's a technique to consciously control one's body temperature among other things." He sighed, "After a lifetime's worth of practice I came away just feeling empty, lonely. I tried to realize their ideal of 'no self'; I thought I could escape suffering that way, but eventually I realized my suffering gives me purpose. It has meaning. It's-it makes me who I am, and I didn't want to let go of that. So I left them and came back into this new world."

He smiled genuinely, "Seeing all the progress was fun. And seeing everything that hadn't progressed made me want to get back to work. Then I realized that the Cabal was tailing me and I started having to hide again. I lost track of my medication at some point. Then I thought I needed protection, so...well, you know the Sanctuary files I'm sure. At least I had enough presence of mind to contact Helen for help. She could always tell when I was in trouble."

Dr. Newman hummed thoughtfully, "Did she often do that for you, help you when you were in trouble?" He nodded. "Is she still able to help you like that?" He thought for a moment then shook his head, "I can't bother her with that kind of thing anymore. That was my mistake, telling her that I wished she could help me, that she was in charge of the funding for my work." Dr. Newman stated incisively, "So, you find yourself without the person that you have relied upon for most of your life to help you when you get into trouble." He shook his head, "I can't rely on her like that anymore it's true."

A moment of silent contemplation descended over them until he slowly said, "But, she is, she is still trying to help me. She, well, she has become...nurturing. Motherly even. It's so strange to be treated that way..." he got a faraway smile, bemused by the situation, then said with a sweet confidential air, "She's gentle, tender in a way she never was before." The woman across from him smiled broadly, "It seems like she's helping you more than you realize. Well, let's leave it there for today. I think that we're getting very close to resolving the situation."

...

"When did you have your first drink?" The slim dark-haired man across from her grinned with a rakish air. "Nine. It was slivovica too, plum brandy. Oh, wait a minute, do you mean wine too? I really got into the church wine when I was six. I was never scolded either. It was no big deal. And for as long as I can remember I drank weak beer. Like everyone else, of course. Safer than water." He frowned darkly as he said the last and looked away. Dr. Newman tilted her head, "Ah, yes, you got cholera once from drinking water. Do you ever drink water now?" He scoffed, "Not if I can avoid it! I know it's dehydrating to drink mostly wine, but I feel nauseated after drinking water. And if I'm really thirsty I drink milk, tea or juice."

Dr. Newman nodded, giving him the benefit of the doubt. "Since you don't eat much, doesn't wine hit you kind of hard? I see here that you drink six glasses a day. That's above the recommended daily allowance for a man of average weight and you're definitely underweight." He frowned resentfully then said soft and seriously, "I get a little bit of a buzz, but I'm fine to work, fine for anything." "Are you ever concerned about your health now that you are mortal again? I know that you suffered from a germ phobia earlier in life-" He interrupted, "Of course I am! But there's no help for it at the moment is there! The focus here is on clearing me to see my wife again. She needs me-"

Dr. Newman raised a hand, halting his protests, "Yes, that is our focus. I need to know that you are not going to slip up again. We both need to know that, and the only way to make that happen is to identify the cause. I understand that you've grown accustomed to drinking alcohol every meal since a very young age, that you grew up in a time when it was the only truly safe beverage, that wine was the only thing you could bear to drink to relieve the torment of your constant thirst as a vampire, but why do you _now_, now when you are made constantly intoxicated by it, continue to drink just the way you used to?"

"Something has to remain the same doesn't it!" he cried out in frustration. "I like drinking wine! There, I've said it. Are you happy now? Confirmed your suspicions, is that it?!" She let his outburst ring in the heavy air between them. "Do you think that..." she began gently, "...that you've struggled with addiction in your life? Gambling as a young man, working as an adult, maybe even something as innocuous as daydreaming and reading when you were a child?" Nikola huffed and ran his hands through his hair, mussing it. "Yes, I guess so. But I always managed to either stop completely or turn it to my advantage-" "And have you done that with drinking?" she interrupted. "No, obviously not," he admitted, "but I could if I wanted to. But there's no need. It's not like I'm driving Helen around all the time or something. Why should I bother cutting back? Everything is fine."

"Dr. Zimmerman and Mr. Foss don't think so, and ultimately they are the ones you have to convince. Until you do that they won't let you spend time with your wife. Besides that, she told me that she doesn't trust you when you're drunk-" "What?! When did she say that?" Dr. Newman put up a hand, silencing him. "Yesterday, at the end of our session together, she told me to tell you that." His face fell. "Oh," he murmured, looking like a chastened child. "I-Alright, I'll cut back. How much can I drink a day?" Dr. Newman blinked, surprised by his abrupt turnaround. "Three glasses a day is considered the maximum for good health. Let's agree to that, alright?" He nodded firmly. "Good, now can I see my wife?"

She quickly got up, went to her phone and called Dr. Zimmerman. "Hello, I'm here with Mr. Tesla. He says that he will limit himself to three drinks per day. Is that adequate to clear him to see his wife again?" A moment passed. "Yes, I agree with continuing our sessions to observe his progress." She hummed with agreement as she listened to a few more suggestions. "Well, he seems highly motivated to me. He's been cooperative and I believe no further progress can be made until he can rejoin his wife. Also, it's important that he get back to his normal routine, work and all that. I trust you'll assign him some duties, preferably in his previous post." She scoffed lightly as a raised voice could be heard through the headset. "Ah, no. I really don't care about that. Ask Mr. Foss how he feels about it, but this is important for his progress. Get him back to work. Now." A moment passed. "Yes, yes. Very good. Goodbye."

Dr. Newman turned to her patient with a smile. "Well, you're going home."

...


	5. Chapter 5

Helen embraced him as soon as she opened the door. "Oh, I missed you so much!" she whispered in his ear, then kissed his neck tenderly. He placed his hand on the back of her head, cradling her to him. "Me too. I'm so, so sorry. I promise, I'll never do that again." He pulled away from her to look her in the eyes. "I'll never get drunk like that again. It was completely irresponsible; it was wrong of me." She smiled happily and pulled him into her bedroom.

...

Nikola rubbed his temples, trying to rid himself of the headache he'd developed since halving his wine consumption. Staring at the Praxian symbols before him he found that he'd been reading the same paragraph over and over for the last, what, twenty minutes? He growled in frustration and paced around the lab. Henry studiously ignored him as he picked up random bits of machinery, fiddled with them, then threw them back on Henry's workbench. "Why are we doing this again?" he whined at the young hap. "This is pointless make-work and we both know it. What happened to that force field thing anyhow? Even that was better than this!"

Henry sighed and spun around in his chair to face him. "Will wants us to finish the translation program. You know that. It's not even hard for you-" "That's exactly the problem!" Tesla interrupted him and threw his hands in the air. "It's so easy and boring it's hard to pay attention." Henry rolled his eyes and spun his chair back around. "Uh huh. I'm going back to work now."

...

Nikola swam thirty three laps instead of his customary twenty seven, pushing himself through the heaviness in his limbs, the shakiness of his breath; pushing himself through his exhaustion and frustration. The pool as usual was unoccupied at five in the morning. But what he usually found peaceful he now found anxiety producing.

The changing room mirror was lit from above, creating a harsh reflection of his sallow, angular form. Whipcord muscles stood out in sharp relief over long, thin bones. His painfully slender thighs were brutally exposed by the speedo he wore. No point in trying to cover up his flaws. It was just his body, meant to be conquered and controlled. Not a thing of beauty. Never that. That was what clothes were for, artfully cut and draped, creating the illusion of an elegant form, mere stylish slimness, not this ugly sinew.

He stripped off his bathing suit, glancing at his flaccid penis. Helen couldn't remember any other penis but this one, he mused. Before, out of curiosity, he had asked about John, about James, about the others whom she refused to name. They were bigger she said, but what did that matter? She liked that he was on the small side. It suited him she said. Sometimes she had liked to humiliate him over it as she punished him for some new infraction. Impudence was his middle name back then, but now...now he was as restrained and responsible as any good Victorian gentleman could be. No more frustrating the fiery and always formidable Helen Magnus. This new Helen, what did she think of him? What did she want to do with this little dick, eager to be with the body that it loved so well?

...

He asked her as they lay next to each other on their bed, "Do you think I am good looking?" It was a shamefaced whisper directed at the pillow he was staring at instead of her bright blue eyes. Her hand brushed his hair away from his face so gently. A little finger traced the wrinkles at the corner of his eye. "You're beautiful. Like a pine tree, swept by the ocean wind." A smile broke out on his narrow face and he laughed, "What a poet you are." She smacked him lightly and pulled his face to hers for a kiss. They smiled into each other's eyes. "Do you think I'm too skinny?" he whispered.

"No, you're perfect. But it's true that if you lost any weight you'd look half dead. And I need you alive!" She rolled over him and poked him in his bony ribs, making his squirm under her and suppress laughter. "Cut it out! You know I'm not ticklish!" he gasped out. "Oh, then why are you laughing?" She stilled on top of him, loving the warmth of his skin on hers. With a moan she slid down his body and took his soft, damp penis in her mouth. Uncomfortable hovering over his hips she rolled on her side and pulled him along with her, then started gently suckling on the delicious flesh, enjoying the leftover taste of their earlier lovemaking. The soft little bit of flesh felt so comfortable in her mouth, she just let herself enjoy the soothing sensation of being so intimate with her darling man.

Nikola felt so warm inside as his beloved Helen nursed on his soft penis so contentedly. It was so peaceful he felt a little regret as he inevitably felt it begin to swell and grow in her rhythmically sucking mouth. He shivered as she moaned around the expanding flesh. Ah, he was filling her mouth. Eventually he felt her pull off his dick a little bit to keep him from growing right down her throat. He moaned at the pulling sensation. It seemed to pull right down deep into his balls. "Helen, can you take it down your throat? Please, it was so warm all the way inside." In response she tried again and again to press his erection further down her throat, pulling off over and over again to breathe in between her efforts. He moaned at such exquisite exertions. It was wonderfully leisurely to just lie there on his side and let her try and train herself to take him fully, feeling her slide him in, in, in. Tasting him so fully, savoring the feel of him in her mouth, down her throat.

"Ah, oh Helen..." he panted softly as the sweetest orgasm washed over him. Her throat massaged his shaft as it jerked and spilled hot, white seed deep into her. She sucked gently as she pulled off of his throbbing flesh, swallowing his essence slowly, moaning with such an expression of pleasure on her face, her eyes closed with a serene bliss. "Oh darling." He pulled her up to him and kissed her lips, kissed her face, kissed her soft neck. "You are heaven on earth," he whispered in her ear, "I'll never let you go."

...

The follow up appointment with Dr. Newman seemed to be going well. He told her that the only bad effects he was feeling was some shakiness, probably due to anxiety, headache, a bit of irritability, difficulty focusing and fatigue. But, this was not insurmountable in any way in his opinion. Especially, with the comfort his wife was giving him each day. She was wonderful, it was true.

"You do seem happy despite this period of adjustment. Are exercise and meditating helping you deal with the stress?" He just smiled lazily at her. "Oh, I'm getting plenty of exercise." He sighed dreamily, "Helen is doing so well. She's happy with me again." Dr. Newman couldn't help but smirk at his lovestruck air. "Yes, it would seem so..." she murmured. "Well, since you're so relaxed, let's talk about the hard stuff then. How many calories would you say you eat in a day?" Nikola scoffed softly, "I'm sure I have no idea. I have coffee and toast in the morning, Helen brings me a sandwich for lunch, then I eat dinner with everyone in the evening. Seems normal to me." "What's the biggest meal for you?" "Hmm, lunch I suppose. That sandwich is really something. Helen is really taking care of me, the sweet girl."

Dr. Newman arched a brow at this new way of referring to his wife. "Are you feeling any pressure at work, in your marriage?" He waved her off breezily, "No, quite the opposite. It's easy peasy at work. Boring really. Makes a man restless. But Helen's doing a great job relaxing me, and I've increased the number of laps I swim, so I think I'm doing fine." Dr. Newman decided to pull out the big guns and handed him a chart. "You're six two and weigh a hundred and forty nine pounds. That's underweight and you know it. Do you know what the health consequences are? Malnutrition, osteoporosis, the inability to fight off infections-" Mr. Tesla huffed annoyed, "Yes, yes, I know. It's not a concern. I eat a variety of foods, even get enough cholesterol. I like butter. I like pies made with lard. Come on, I'm not anorexic. I have a high metabolism, live an active life, get full fast, that's all. I'm fine."

Dr. Newman frowned and inhaled audibly, "I've been doing a bit of research about your religion-" Nikola burst out laughing, "My _religion_?! Would that be bringing about the singularity or what?" She talked over him, "The religion you were raised in. Your father-" Mr. Tesla leaned back in his seat, the grin wiped right off his face. "I'd really rather not talk about that." "I'm aware," she said, "and that's exactly why I did my research. Is it true that you were encouraged to fast from meat, fish, dairy and oil twice a week?" Nikola sighed, "That was just normal. My father fasted and so the whole family fasted. It has nothing to do with how I eat now. I don't even observe that anymore." Dr. Newman nodded, "So, when you were a boy and you wanted to impress your parents you decided to stop eating sweets, is that right?" Mr. Tesla simply nodded a troubled look in his eyes.

"Did it work?" Nikola shook his head, confused, "What do you mean?" She swallowed and asked gently, "Did you succeed in impressing them with your self-control, your sacrifices?" He shook his head again. "And so, then what did you do?" He was silent for a long moment then finally murmured, "I ate less." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I ate as little as my mother let me get away with." "And how about that? Did that work?" He blinked rapidly and shook his head again. Dr. Newman looked down for a moment, then finally asked, "Then why did you keep doing it?" He just stared at her, unwilling or unable to answer her question. "Did you think it would make you closer to God? Maybe make you a better person? I understand that some people believe that fasting can accomplish that. Were you one of them?" After several moments of silence, he nodded then said in a small voice, "It does. It does make you a better person. But I don't expect you to understand that. So, I think we're at an impasse."

Dr. Newman nodded slowly. "I want to thank you for being honest with me. Even if we never see eye to eye, I appreciate the respect you're showing me by telling me how you really feel. Thank you." She took a moment to breathe, then said, "You should tell your wife this. Talk to her about what you believe. It's important. I think I've done all I can for you at the moment. Of course, we can continue meeting if you like, but any real progress will likely come about because of your relationship with your wife. I'll let Dr. Zimmerman know that I consider you mentally healthy."

...

"It's hard to believe it but he was actually nicer before he stopped drinking. Or even tempered I guess, for him? Yeah. So, he's climbing the walls now. Finished the translation program pretty much on his own in the last two days." Henry sighed tiredly and ran his hand though his hair. "Anyway, what's next? Back to work on the force field I guess?" Will shook his head, "Yeah, that's fine for in your spare time, but what we really need at the moment is better cybersecurity." Henry frowned, "Uh, Tesla's not much help with computers, you know that. I mean, he's not incapable, but it's not his strength. He needs something to keep him occupied, seriously." Will scoffed, "Well, tell him to invent something. He's an adult, let him fill his own time."

...

Nikola hopped onto the treadmill and turned it on. He walked briskly as he typed. At least there was enough in the budget to order this damn treadmill desk. It was the only thing that was keeping him from smashing the keyboard in frustration. Would this tedious shit never end? At least he could work on other things in his mind at the same time. Unfortunately, his invention fantasies would usually dead end due to a lack of some critical material or part. It was very frustrating. He was muttering curses to himself as Henry walked into the room.

"Heinrich! Do you have any idea how boring this is? I don't understand how you're able to do this day in and day out without losing it!" Henry sighed and sat at his desk. "Yeah, yeah, my job's boring. Whatever." Nikola turned around so he was walking backwards and continued on his rant. "No, seriously. This has to be the most tedious-" Henry groaned loudly, "Come on man, I'm trying to work here. If you want to talk make it not complaints, okay?" Nikola paused for a second, then continued. "Ok, I'll try, but what happened to the force field device? I think we almost had it perfected and now we're spinning our wheels doing this bullshit. What is the so-called boss even thinking? It's almost like it's deliberate harassment."

Henry shook his head as he typed. "I think Will's having trouble adjusting to being in charge and he's being too cautious, but try to be patient with him. He needs some time to get used to Magnus not being there for him." Tesla jumped off the treadmill abruptly and snapped defensively, "Leave her out of this! And he's been working under her forever, so why all the fuss? Can't he do the job he was trained for?" Henry threw up his hands and yelled, "Fuck if I know?! Why are you asking me? I'm just trying to make sure we don't get hacked or traced, so you know, we can go on hiding from every major government and criminal organization on Earth! Jesus, why can't we just get this over with without me having to play middleman between you and Will?"

Tesla scoffed, "You think this is what it's like hiding from the world? Amateurs." He hopped nimbly back on the moving treadmill. "Looks like I'll have to play the part of the company drone for a while yet."

...

"This is nice, isn't it? Let's eat alone more often." Helen nodded, smiling gently at him in the candle light. "In fact, I was thinking, couldn't we make a suite just for us, with a little kitchen and everything? It would be so much more private, don't you think?" Helen tilted her head cutely, "I-I hadn't thought of that. Is that what you'd like?" Nikola smiled and took her hand across the table. "Yes, I'd really like that. I want to be closer to you, spend more time together."

Helen frowned, "What would we do? I can't help you with your work..." she trailed off shamefacedly. "No, don't think of that. We, we can, um, play billiards!" She laughed. "What? We don't even have a billiards table!" "We can buy one. And we'll practice every day until you're a pro. Then we'll go undercover to some dive bars and play for money!" They laughed together for a while then Helen asked, "Do you really want to spend more time with me?" Nikola nodded eagerly, "Yes, I need to."

...

Helen sat awkwardly across from her erstwhile protege. "Informing you is just a courtesy of course, though it would be helpful if you could recruit the laborers for me." Dr. Zimmerman furrowed his brow, looking concerned. "Why have you decided to remodel? Is there...some kind of problem?" She laughed nervously, "What do you mean? I just, I think it would be nice to have more privacy." The psychologist probed, "Is it you that wants more privacy or is it your husband?" Her face closed down, "That's none of your business."

Will shook his head, looking sheepish. "Of course not. I'm just concerned about you is all. Not that long ago you asked me and Henry to keep him away from you until he finished therapy, and now, well, it has only been a few weeks and suddenly you want separate quarters from the rest of us. You have to admit, it's a bit strange. What could it hurt to put it off for a while? Nikola could probably use an adjustment period while he works on sobriety and renovating can be so stressful."

She felt unsure of herself once she considered his words. "I, I don't think it would be harmful. He's awfully restless...the change would probably do him good, give him something to work on." She nodded as though agreeing with herself. "I want to get started. It's something we can do together as a couple. It'll be fun." Will sighed, realizing she was determined, and after all, it was her Sanctuary and her money. "Alright. I'll hire the workers right away. Will you need an architect?" "No, no. We're already designing the layout and all that. Just get a carpenter and a plumber. Nikola said he can handle the rest."

...

"Here's where the billiards room will be, and this will be the guest room. I thought you'd like to pick out the wallpaper for that. I made a little dressing area for you between our bedroom and the bath. Did you think about what kind of tile you wanted yet? No? Ok, we'll take a look at samples later. Oh, and I put the toilet in it's own little room. That's almost done already." Nikola was a flurry of activity, orchestrating the building of their little suite. It was chaotic in the extreme, walls coming down then going up again in different formations, holes with wires running through them that Nikola expertly manipulated and attached to the most charming fixtures, including some art deco wall sconces he had handblown himself.

The kitchen was already finished, complete with the sleek induction cooktop Nikola had insisted on. For a man that didn't cook he certainly had a strong opinion on the merits of cooking with electromagnetic induction. She found all the stainless steel counter tops a bit cold but knowing her husband's obsession with hygiene the choice was unsurprising. They had agreed not to cook in the kitchen until the whole suite was finished, but used the table to look at plans together.

"You want hardwood floors, right? You know how I can't stand carpet." He said distractedly while flipping through a sample book. She grabbed his hand, pulled it up to her lips and kissed it. "Darling, let's take a break now. I'm getting tired." He glanced up at her, then smiled broadly. "Of course! There's not much more that can be done today anyway. Let's go to bed!" She grinned delighted as he jumped to his feet and pulled her after him saying, "Come on! I've been looking forward to this all day!"

...

Helen giggled madly as her husband seemed to run his hands over every inch of her in seconds. "What are you doing?!" He had thrown himself on top of her, rubbing his lean body over hers obscenely. "You're acting like an excited dog! Down boy!" she squealed as he squeezed her buttocks. "Oh my God, don't poke me there!" He laughed uproariously at her outrage, then stilled on top of her. "Would you mind?" he asked vaguely, a lazy smile on his face. Taken aback, Helen shook her head. "I thought you would think it is too dirty. You're so obsessed with germs..." He blushed and said bashfully, "It's strangely hot, the idea of..." He put his head next to hers and whispered in her ear, "being inside your ass. Is it very tight? What would it feel like...?"

Helen felt her pussy starting to throb. She had never...what would it feel like she wondered. "Should I go wash?" she whispered in her husband's ear. He turned to her surprised. "You'd really...? Okay, yeah." He got off her, letting her make her way to the bathroom, watching her naked body avidly and stroking his cock.

...

Helen came out of the bathroom to the sight of her husband, head thrown back on the pillow, hair sticking every which way, hand gripping his cock and roughly stroking it, the foreskin pulling back and exposing the red glans over and over again. The ache in her loins grew, the throbbing in her pussy turning into a gushing wetness. "Nikola. How do you want me?" His gray-blue eyes opened and focused on her, sweeping over her lush breasts down to her hips. "Come sit on my face first. I want to taste you." She got gingerly on the bed, then carefully placed her knees on either side of her husband's head. "Yes, face that way," he muttered as he held her thighs and positioned her over his face.

"Now suck me," he whispered just before he started licking her dripping wet cunt, hungrily swallowing her juices. She whimpered and rocked her hips over him, then leaned forward to press her face into his crotch. The scent of his arousal shot through her brain and straight to her loins. "Oh God, you smell so good..." she moaned then licked and sucked softly on his loose balls, feeling them gently filling her mouth. Her husband moaned into her wet pussy, enjoying the luscious feeling. With a firm swipe of his tongue he broke free from her swollen sex, "Take my cock now. I want to feel your throat around me as I make you come."

Helen moaned at his confidence in his ability to make her orgasm then eagerly took him as deeply as she could. Her head bobbed up and down over his hips as he reached between her legs and thrust a finger into her sopping wet hole. She squealed and rode his finger for all she was worth, forcing him to add another to try and appease her. Breaking away from his cock, she moaned, "Oh God! Please more!" He smacked her bum lightly with his free hand and paused in his licking to say, "Get back to work or you'll get nothing." She groaned and resigned herself to thrusting her face onto his cock again and again, making herself take his hard length as deep as possible.

He sucked on her clitoris as he stuffed his fingers into her, making her thighs clench and her throat vibrate around his dick with her muffled cries of passion. She whined in protest when he pulled his fingers out of her hot pussy then began circling her tight little anus. Breaking away from his tongue tiring work he asked, "May I?" She slid wetly off his cock, "Yes, do it! I want it!" He smiled and went back to roughly sucking her clit, then pushed a finger into her tight hole, savoring the way her body jumped and she whimpered. She stilled over him, struggling not to tense at the burning invasion into her tenderest, most private spot.

The finger, wet from her pussy, slid deeper into her hot ass, hurting her and at the same time arousing her ever more. The sense of violation and subjugation made her feel strangely hot and yet sick. Another finger pressed firmly at the edges of her anus, forcing its way into her body, thrusting into her, opening her wider and wider, preparing her for a larger invasion. She put her husband's cock in her mouth, pulling his hips with her hands, encouraging him to thrust them up into her receptive throat. He got the hint and began using her completely, fucking her face while exploring the tender channel of her asshole and ruthlessly sucking her sore clit. Finally, with a cry she spasmed around his thrusting fingers and cock, utterly undone by such thorough skewering.

She pulled her mouth wetly off his still rock-hard dick and lay panting on a lean thigh, until he rolled her off him onto the bed. He grabbed the pillows and positioned them under her hips, pushing her face down into the soft bed. She let him position her limp body and waited to be fucked. "God, you're so sexy. Do you still want me in there? Do want me to split your ass open with this hard cock?" She moaned and spread her legs, bracing herself against the bed. "Please, take me. I want to be yours..." she muttered deliriously, her pussy hot and heavy with need and anticipation.

Her husband bent down and shocking her utterly, licked her asshole messily, wetting the abused little hole thoroughly. He spit on his hand, slicking his dick a bit then began pressing it into her tight anus. The burning violation made her see stars as she involuntarily squirmed away from the blunt head of his invading cock. He rocked his hips against her, pressing her hard against the pillows rhythmically, forcing her to rub her swollen clit against them, as he gradually worked his way into her anus. She moaned as the defilement continued, her body caught between the pleasure assaulting her clit and the burning pain of the hard cock sinking deeper and deeper into her bowels. "Oh God! You're fucking me so deep..." she groaned, rotating her hips, rubbing her pussy in little circles on the pillow beneath her, leaving a soggy wet patch on it.

As the rigid cock started to gently fuck her, the burning of it pushing in and pulling out combined with the throbbing wetness of her aching pussy, turning into an ecstasy of painful pleasure. She felt the intense intimacy of the act, her husband using her asshole, opening it up to this disgusting yet thrilling sensation. She had never been so wet. Thrust after thrust seemed to pound into her ass, the burning giving way to the most glorious feeling of being utterly filled. She pushed her hungry hole back into his thrusts, encouraging him to claim her deeper and harder. He moaned rapturously, loving her passionate acceptance of his ruthless thrusts. Hovering over her sweet upturned ass, he grabbed her waist and thrust rapidly into her, watching her body underneath him shake and shudder as she took his dick. Sensing he was close, she whined, "Fill my ass with your cum. I want to be filled by you completely." With a grunt he thrust deeper than ever and emptied his balls into her, staring transfixed as she wriggled and clenched around him.

He took a shaky breath, then, aware that she was right on the edge, he leaned over her shivering body to whisper in her ear. She whimpered as his still firm cock jostled her tender insides. "You make quite the little 'tom,' taking it up the ass like a boy whore. Are you enjoying being ruined like this?" He pressed his hips against her ass and ground her into the pillows, grabbing her by the back of the neck and pushing her face into the mattress. His dirty words seared into her mind, forcing her to register the reality of her position, fucked open, pinned underneath the menacing strength of her husband. She screamed and thrashed under him, kicking as her orgasm overtook her with a painful intensity. "Yes, you love it. Love it!" he growled and continued to hump her, pulling the last dregs of her orgasm out of her, until she finally begged him to stop, overwhelmed by the sensation.

He lifted himself off of her limp, fucked out body, then cautiously hovered over her. She was sobbing softly into the bed, leaving the sheets soggy with her tears. He pulled her damp hair off of her red face and leaned over to kiss her wet cheek. "Are you okay?" he whispered, concerned that she was genuinely traumatized by his harsh words and rough treatment of her body. "I-I didn't mean-I love you darling. Don't cry..." He got off her entirely and tentatively rolled her over so he could see her face fully. She covered her eyes with her hands, seeming ashamed. "Sweetness? Please, did I go too far? I'm sorry," he whispered, trying to take her hands in his and make her look at him. "Please look at me." Finally, she let him pull her hands away from her face and her cornflower blue eyes looked into his. She gulped, "Am I really a 'tom' to you? I'm not-I shouldn't-I don't want you to look down on me as a dirty sl-" "No, no, no! I was just saying that to make you cum, that's all. I'd never, never, actually treat you that way. I know you're faithful. I just meant, you could be, um, just my..." he laughed nervously, "ah, never mind. You're my wife, not a plaything. I won't say things like that to you again if you don't like it." Helen sniffled and nodded, then got a thoughtful look on her face.

"Why-why did I enjoy it? I feel embarrassed that it made me..." she flushed, looking extremely humiliated. Nikola cleared his throat and pressed his legs together, uncomfortably aware of his dick twitching at the sight of her shame. "Uh, well, sometimes people like to pretend to be mean. It's like when I give you a spanking. The point of it isn't to actually punish or hurt you. It's just a little stimulation, a little pain to heighten your feelings, so that when the pleasure comes it's more intense." Helen considered his words for a moment then visibly relaxed. "Oh, I see. When you said those things, it wasn't that you meant them. It was just to make me..." He nodded eagerly, then cupped her cheek in his hand, wiping away her tears. "It was just play. Not serious. I love you so much." He kissed her softly then pressed his forehead to hers. "You were beautiful. So hot. Like a goddess." She smiled tenderly and whispered in reply, "And you were a god."

...

Nikola slammed the laptop shut and crowed, "Another project completed! And good riddance to bad rubbish. Now can we finally get back to some interesting engineering?" Henry smiled back at Tesla. "Yeah! Finally, let's perfect this shit! High five?" Nikola scoffed and rolled his eyes then slapped his hand anyway. "Alright, where is that electromagnetic arc generator?" The giggled together like two schoolboys as they got out their tools.

...


	6. Chapter 6

Will sighed as he thumbed through the candidates CV's. An ex-Marine from Iowa, a martial arts instructor from Sydney, a vet from Arizona and a doctor from New York. It had taken several weeks to narrow it down to these four. The interviews had been a pain, but it was finally over. He'd made his choices, hopefully they were good ones and would make a workable new team. The thought of orienting and directing a team he had chosen himself made him feel sick with anxiety. Magnus had always had such an eye for talent and was a great judge of character. He would have never guessed that Kate could have been such an effective member of their old team. Now she was gone; she'd been transferred before he had even come home. It was just another disruption; another change he'd never been consulted on. It was insulting. Fucking Tesla.

It was galling how he was getting off Scott free after leaving the Sanctuary understaffed and in a financial hole. What was even worse was how he had gotten away with reshaping Helen into the sort of woman he could easily dominate. It was absolutely diabolical. What kind of man would take advantage of their loved one when she was so vulnerable? The thought of her trapped in the life her husband was constructing around her, walled into the role of the helpmate of a patriarchal marriage, made him feel sick. And now this whole remodeling scheme, no doubt part of Tesla's plan to isolate her, all the better to control her. Yet he found himself helpless to do anything about it.

Magnus had arranged for her funds to be completely within her own control even in the case of her current level of incapacitation. She truly hadn't trusted anyone else to manage them for her. The only concessions she had made was that he could fight to have her declared legally insane or mentally compromised due to truly extreme circumstances such as violent coercion or mind control. All he had to do was manage to bring all the other Sanctuary heads together to form a panel to assess her mental fitness, but that was obviously more than he could justify in this case. The safety of the entire Sanctuary network wasn't at stake, only the freedom and happiness of its founder.

Will pushed the paperwork away from himself, leaned back in his wheelchair and rubbed his tired eyes. After a few breaths he pulled out his phone and flipped through his emails and messages. Nothing new in the last few hours. An unusual but welcome occurrence. He glanced around the office then opened his photos then scrolled through a few pictures until he found a picture of Magnus from about a few years ago. She hadn't known he was taking her picture that Christmas, but her smile was so irresistible, it made her look so-The phone on his desk rang and he quickly closed the photo app. Back to work.

...

Henry's eyes went back and forth between his boss and his boss's boss as they argued over funding.

"Look, we finished the translation program, our system is more secure than the Pentagon, we have a suit that projects a fucking force field that no one has any use for according to you, and you still refuse to give me my damn platinum?!"

"Do you think that some more money materialized during the last six months? We're in the red! Why can't you understand the most basic of financial concepts? Is this how you're spending Magnus' money-"

"Fuck you! How dare you talk to me about me and my wife's personal finances!"

Will scoffed, "Well, someone does! Her money is still Sanctuary money officially. Do you know that? There's no actual separation-"

"Well, there should be! We deserve our privacy, and it's unreasonable for you to be in charge of or even informed of any of our personal finances."

Henry cleared his throat, "Uh, what do you need us to do now? The new team needs-"

Will talked over him, "You know, the way you talk about 'your wife,' it might as well be 'my child,' 'my servant,' or maybe even 'my slave.'"

Tesla laughed scornfully, "Yes, I'm sure that's what you'd like to think, you fucking enlightened feminist you. Whatever. Helen and I are doing just fine and stay out of it."

Henry raised his voice some more, "Um, let's get back to what the new team needs for their first mission. It's in Nepal, right?" Henry was taken aback when both sets of eyes trained on him. "What?" Tesla barked, "They're going to Nepal?" Will said simultaneously, "They'll need a pacifying device for these snow snakes our contact there is dealing with. We will receive a mature female this afternoon that you can work with."

Henry nodded and swiftly got to his feet, "Great, well, let's go and get ready." He waved his hand at an irritated looking Tesla who bemusedly followed him out of the room. Unable to resist a parting shot he threw over his shoulder, "We'll sort out this business with Helen's finances later, junior."

...

"Are you sure you'll be safe going to Nepal? It's awfully snowy there right now..." Helen groused as she carefully lifted the cod out of the pot, then arranged it next to some boiled potatoes. She ladled some of the broth through a strainer into some soup bowls. Nikola sat quietly at the metal and glass kitchen table, waiting for her to serve him. "I've been there before so I'm not concerned. Actually, it'll be kinda nice to get out for a while, breathe the fresh air and such." He nodded his thanks as she poured his allotted one glass of wine. "Can I come too?" Nikola was brought up short. "Uh, well, I don't see why not. It's not a dangerous mission really."

...

"I really don't think it's a good idea. You said the equipment you made should be reliable and easy enough for them to use without you. And besides, it's their first time going out and I want to see how they do on their own." Will shook his head, smiling tightly in seeming regret. "Why do you want to go anyway? There's nothing in it for you...is there?" Tesla grunted, "No, just the chance to go above ground. Nothing in it for me at all." After a measuring look, he said cautiously, "I have been to Nepal before, lived there for some time. I could be of use to the team, just in case, and they'll be safer that way. I think Helen would be safe going too. It's time for her to venture out a little bit. She's healthy enough for it now."

Will hummed thoughtfully, trying to come up with a convincing reason to deny Tesla's request but couldn't think of anything. "Well, at least it will get you out of my hair for a while. But you have to agree to do everything Jim says! He's team leader for this mission." Tesla chuckled ominously and rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes. I'll see what I can do."

Will watched at the older man swanned out of the room. "Asshole."

...

The Nepalese village wasn't much different from what he remembered from the last time he had lived in the country. There were two televisions in this village instead of the obligatory one and slightly more motorbikes than ox carts. Still, he was pleased to see the evidence of his life's work in the wires overhead, even in this remote corner of the globe.

Jim had set up a base in the local inn. It was squat cinderblock building mostly patronized by Chinese businessmen. Nikola wasn't enjoying their stay. The set meals included with their rooms consisted of entirely too much curried goat bones over rice. Helen was having a good time though, so he supposed coming with the team was worth it.

After a day to get settled, Jim had ordered them to all make their way to the Jeeps and travel to the countryside for their briefing. The ride was uneventful for the area. Cows occasionally blocked the road, goats and sheep dotted the sides of the bumpy dirt road. After an hour, the Jeeps stopped at an isolated crossroads and the tall, crew cut ex-Marine made his speech.

"Alright team, those mountains there are where the snow snakes were sighted by our informant. There could be as many as seven adult nine foot long snakes and an unknown number of juveniles. These snakes have a bite that is mildly poisonous but we have generous stores of antivenom. The only possible danger is from the juveniles as they may use more poison, but the snakes are not known to be particularly fast or vicious. Now, let's double check supplies and be ready to move out at 0900."

Nikola took his wife by the arm and placed her in front of himself. "Warm enough for you?" he asked with a grin, fiddling with the fur collar of her jacket. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, looking like two little apples over her happy smile. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. He quickly turned so that her lips fell on his, brushing her cheek with his moustache. She giggled lightly and kissed him again and again. "Thank you for getting them to let me come along." Nikola shrugged, "Of course, let's go."

...

The snakes were proving elusive despite their best efforts at tracking them. A full day had passed with little to show for it except a few spoor. They established a camp in the shelter of a small overhang and resolved to continue the next day. Nikola resigned himself to sitting around the campfire with the new team, as Helen was eager to get to know everyone.

"Jim here spent a few years in Afghanistan until he came back home to Iowa. Not much going on there I bet?" Tanya grinned at the dark-haired burly man, shaking her sandy blonde hair in a rather obvious flirtatious move. Nikola smiled through gritted teeth and attempted to change the subject. "What about you? I heard you're Australian, is that right?" The slim Asian woman nodded silently, then after a few awkward minutes finally said, "Sydney. I like animals." That conversation stopper led to Helen laughing nervously and babbling about herself.

"Well, that was the original idea of all this! I'm very happy to be here with you all, seeing you carry on the Sanctuary's work like this. I do hope I'm not an inconvenience-" All three of the team protested rather too much and Nikola sipped on some hot mulled wine hoping no one would ask him anything, but it was not to be. The chatty veterinarian asked, "Are you really the original Nikola Tesla? It must be amazing to see the impact you've had on the world-" Nikola interrupted, "Yes, very much. Now, I think I'd like to be going off to bed. The wind is picking up." He got to his feet then touched his wife's shoulder, "Helen come on, don't get a chill."

Jim cleared his throat and tried to get to know his team better, "Uh, Soon Li, right?" She nodded, "Everyone calls me Sunny though." The ex-marine couldn't think of a less appropriate nickname. Tanya broke in with an excited whisper, "Do you think Tesla treats her that way because they're all Victorian or because of the head injury?" Sunny tsked, "I think it's none of our business." Jim agreed with the taciturn martial artist, apparently to little effect as Tanya continued to speculate over their companions' relationship. "I overheard Dr. Zimmerman talking to Mr. Foss. He was saying something about Tesla being controlling, that he's abusive-"

Jim furrowed his brow in consternation. The last thing he needed was some kind of family drama screwing up his first mission. "Abusive? How?" Tanya latched onto his interest like a dog on a bone. "Said he's been isolating her, remodeled so they have a separate suite. What's he got to hide? Physical marks? He also mentioned how the guy is a real asshole to Mr. Foss, berates him up and down all the time, like the boss from hell. And he's out for Helen's money, the Sanctuary's money."

The man weighed her statements and found them wanting. "I didn't see any fear on her face. If anything she seems very relaxed and happy. Sounds like office politics to me." Tanya shrugged, "Well, there's tons of women that don't know to be afraid. Especially when they've been charmed and they're dependent on the guy. He looks like the type that could keep any woman pretty much under his thumb without much effort..."

...

Nikola woke to the wind whistling and the jar head yelling at everyone to wake up. "A storm's blowing up! We need to move out, get ahead of it!" Helen was nestled into his arm for warmth; he gently shook her awake. "The weather's turned bad. Let me up, I have to go deal with this. Get dressed. Don't forget your gloves, okay?" She groggily complied as he got dressed as fast as possible and went out of the tent.

Nikola took a look around briefly. "Jim! The storm is too fast moving! We should shelter in place instead!" He yelled over the wind, trying to make the man see reason. The ex-marine yelled, "Don't question my decision! This location is untenable! We will head for the caves up the hill!" The other team members were already collapsing their tents and getting their packs. Helen was emerging from the tent looking anxiously from one person to another.

Forced to make a snap decision, Nikola abandoned the argument and went to Helen's side. "Help me with the tent!" he yelled.

...

The greatest danger in whiteout conditions was simply getting turned around and becoming lost. Nikola held tightly onto his wife's hand as he headed uphill toward the caves. The others were barely discernable ahead of them and visibility was worsening. "Wait!" he yelled over the storm, but got no response. He whined anxiously as the snowfall increased and he lost sight of the rest of the party entirely. "Oh God, faster!" he yelled at his wife, pulling her bodily along with him. So long as they were heading uphill he thought they should be fine. The cutting wind lashed their faces, frost gathering on their eyelashes, as they fought their way through the rapidly gathering snow.

After what seemed an eternity he managed to make out the light of a fire within the depths of the cave. Quickly leading Helen into the small space, he held her shivering form before the meager warmth of the fire. "Where's Sunny? Did you see her?" Jim asked him as he tried to rub some warmth into his hands. "What? Last I saw she was ahead of me. Didn't she come in before us?" Jim shook his head and prepared to go back out to look for the slim martial artist. Nikola stopped him, "Wait, do we have a rope? Otherwise you could just get lost too." "No I don't. We we're planning on doing any mountain climbing-"

The scientist sighed exasperated. "If you'd just listened to me we would have been fine. This kind of storm only lasts a few hours. They blow up all the time around here." Jim cursed, "What? You knew that and let us move-" "You disregarded my experience! I'll go find her, if I can." Nikola pulled out a flashlight and shone it into the maelstrom outside. "Hopefully, she'll see this." He was just getting ready to step out into the storm when Helen ran after him and cried, "No, don't leave me!" Jim tsked in disgust, "Just let him go, he'll be fine." Nikola took a moment to give his wife a hug then said, "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

...

Visibility was nil. Nikola shone the light into the storm, hoping Sunny might spot it without him having to venture far. She must have had the sense to go uphill. Maybe she had missed the entrance of the cave and ending up going further on one side or the other. But what side? He wandered over to first one side then the other attempting to guess which path would have made more sense...The one on his right was less steep, maybe that was it?

...

Helen grabbed the parka of the figure entering the cave, only to find it was the slight Asian woman who had somehow found her way. She pushed Sunny toward the other team members huddled near the small fire and yelled into the storm, "Nikola!" The roaring wind drowned out her frantic cry completely. She turned to Jim. "What should we do? He's out there. What if he gets lost too?" The man tried to get her to come over toward the fire. "I'm sure he's fine. He used to live in Nepal-" "What?" Helen had never been told such a thing. She thought he had only ever visited the country. "Yes, that's why he was allowed to come, due to experience-" She shook her head bewildered, "I don't understand. Why wasn't he leading this mission if he's the most experienced here?" Jim scowled and left her, going back to the fire. "Look, Dr. Zimmerman assigned team roles, so you'd have to take that up with him."

...

Helen was going out of her mind, pacing back and forth, straining her eyes, hoping to see the outline of husband's form approach the cave. Every few minutes she called his name, sure that he must be close. It had already been half an hour, more than long enough for hypothermia to take effect. "Nikola!" The others watched her passively, unsure what to do. Jim had already ruled against anyone going out to look for the lost Serb.

Tears ran down her face as she shone her flashlight out into the blinding snow. If only they had brought that damn rope, she could have tied it to herself, gone out looking for him and be assured of finding her way back. The last thing she wanted to do was go out looking for him and get lost herself. She could vividly imagine his anguish if he should come back only to find her gone.

After another twenty minutes of agony, the driving wind and snow began to subside. She called for the others. "The storm is waning! We need to find him now!" Jim looked cautiously out of the cave, shaking his head uncertainly. "It could kick up again any moment now..." Helen screamed in frustration and took off into the snow, eyes glued to the ground looking for footprints. The snow had come down so heavy there was no sign of tracks at all. She turned about, looking at the endless white blanketing the mountainside. Sunlight was beginning to reflect off the snow creating a painful glare. "Nikola! Where are you?"

She ran awkwardly through the deep snow, searching desperately for any sign of her husband. Where would he have gone? Uphill or down? "Helen, there's a tracking device-" She whirled on the team leader. "What?! Then why are we wasting time! Find him!" Jim glanced down at the device and pointed uphill to the right side of the cave entrance. The team struggled through the packing snow, trampling it down as they made their way up the mountain, calling the lost scientist's name every few moments.

After fifteen minutes or so of walking Tanya spotted a dark patch amongst the endless white. "Is that the color of Tesla's parka?" The team rapidly converged on the cloth and Sunny pulled it out of the snow. It was a glove. An ominous mood descended over the group. Helen clenched her fists in her own thick gloves. "We need to find him quickly! Where does the signal lead?" Jim pointed about twenty feet up the mountain. "Somewhere up there." Helen led the way, recklessly pulling herself up the gradually steepening side of the mountain.

As they got closer to the source of the signal it became evident that there was very small cave opening behind a bush blanketed with snow. Helen tried to dart ahead, ready to pull the bush aside when Jim abruptly grabbed her by the arm and held her back. "You know what you might find. Are you sure?" She stopped for a second shocked, then shook him off angrily and clambered over to the bush.

Sunny hung back with Tanya, not wanting to see the possible case of hide-and-die syndrome. "God, what if he-" The veterinarian scoffed angrily interrupting Sunny's worried query. "No point in feeling bad about it now." The martial artist shot the blonde an incredulous look then turned away from the tragic scene.

"Nikola!" Helen's scream was like glass shattering.

...

The team hustled the unconscious man down the mountain. Helen ordering them about with the confidence of a born leader. She had instinctively checked his breathing and airway the moment she saw his cold, blue visage. He was breathing, just barely. She had stabilized his neck in case he'd suffered an injury, then had the team move him to the cave where she had them place him in one of the sleeping bags and take him down the mountain back to the vehicles. There she heated the space slowly and demanded that Tanya prepare an IV of warmed fluids.

Nikola woke to the sound of his wife harshly berating someone. "What do you mean you don't have one! Do you not know how to do the simplest things?!" A woman's voice replied, but he missed what she said when his wife's concerned face appeared in his rather blurry field of vision. "Helen..." he mouthed, unable even to speak. "You're awake! Good, good." She turned to someone. "Get outside, build a fire and heat up this tea. Quickly!" He felt himself drifting off when his wife pressed her warm face against his and said urgently into his ear. "Stay awake. I need you to stay awake and drink some tea for me, okay?" A tiny puff of air hit her ear. "'Kay." She pulled back and gave him a brilliant smile. "You're going to be fine." She soothed, stroking his cheeks. "Any pain?" After a moment of reflection he grunted in the negative then concentrated on keeping his heavy eyelids open.

After what seemed an eternity the tea arrived. Helen carefully tested the temperature, mixed it with a bit of cold water until it was not too hot then carefully brought it to his mouth. He slowly sipped the warm tea, feeling it restoring the warmth to his chilled body. After he finished the mug he refused more. "I think I can warm myself up now..." he croaked then smiled a little at Helen's disgruntled look. "No, trust me. I can." He muttered then began the breathing exercises he had mastered for decades.

...

"This fiasco should have never happened! Nikola was the most experienced member of the team and clearly should have been leading the mission. And not having a competent field medic on the team was just negligent!"

Will frowned in consternation. "It was only expected that Tanya would be needed-" Helen growled, "Expect the unexpected! And your team leader didn't even have basic supplies, ropes, adequate tracking devices, and besides that he made the wrong calls. He misjudged the weather, didn't listen to advice, got us into trouble, then cut his losses and was ready to leave team members to save themselves."

Will shook his head, "Look, I think you're blowing this out of proportion. Jim overreacted to the weather and Tanya wasn't briefed to expect to act as a field medic. That's all-" "No! I already said it. Nikola specifically told Jim to shelter in place. He was on the team due to experience in Nepal and Jim should have listened. And you should have never let the situation arise in the first place! People's lives were put at risk! My family-" Helen choked on a sob and angrily brushed the tears from her eyes.

The Sanctuary head tried to comfort his erstwhile mentor. "No one got hurt. We all know Nikola is tough-" Helen laughed bitterly, "He's mortal and you know it. Why don't you care that he could have died and I'd be all alone?" Will was taken aback. "Even if that happened you wouldn't be alone. You have me, Henry, Big Guy. I...You know I don't like how you've separated yourself from us. Look, I really think you've become a little too dependent-" "Shut up! Is that it then?! You would have been happy if Nikola froze to death. You hate him that much! That's why you made such bad choices!" Helen screamed and advanced on Will's desk in a righteous fury.

"Nikola has never and will never lead a team in this Sanctuary!" Will burst out. "You're being biased and irrational." Helen leaned aggressively over his desk and said with deadly seriousness, "I could just as easily say the same about you, Will. Start treating my husband with the respect he deserves or you won't know what hit you." She stormed out of the office leaving her bewildered protege in the dust.

...


	7. Chapter 7

Nikola breathed in as deeply as he could as the cold stethoscope pressed against his narrow back. The wheezing inhale quickly turned into another of the coughing fits that were plaguing him ever since he got back from Nepal. "Well, Mr. Tesla. It looks like you'll need to have a chest x-ray to check for bronchitis." The doctor directed him over to the x-ray room and did his work with alacrity. Nikola appreciated the no nonsense manner and wondered what part of New York the man was from. As he emerged from the x-ray room he asked, "Did you live on Park Avenue?" Dr. Hughes raised a silver patrician brow, "5th Avenue actually." Nikola smiled, "Yes, I thought so. Why did you leave all that for...this?" An elegant shrug was the only response, then back to business. "Well, you definitely have bronchitis. Not surprising given the circumstances and the symptoms. The weakness, shortness of breath, the nasty cough you've got. I could run tests but I'm willing to bet it's viral. Best get plenty of bed rest, have warm fluids and use a humidifier. Get it?" "Got it." The two grinned at each other as they both said, "Good."

...

Helen was exasperated. Her husband was an extremely whiny and demanding sick person. The last two days she had been kept very busy making soup then remaking it when he complained that it wasn't to his taste, only to watch him mostly play with it instead of eating it. He was also driving her up the wall with his claims of boredom. The electrical engineering journals were "unimaginative," the classic literature was "old hat," the poetry was "no good unless it's in the original language." She gave up and threw a People magazine at him. He read some scandalous story about the British royal family and made fun of her nationality for a while then went back to moaning about having nothing to do. She was surprised at how much he was able to talk at all given the nasty cough he had.

"What do you want to do? Unless you come up with something to pass the time I'm going to just leave you here alone. I won't listen to your belly aching all day." Nikola sighed then promptly had a coughing fit. Helen handed him a cup of lukewarm tea and waited for him to finish. After several minutes he said, "Can't you give me a massage or something? There's some eucalyptus scented oil in the drawer. I'm sure the doctor would say it would help..." The cute sparkle in his eyes got to her and she gave in. "Alright, let me help you get undressed." The sick man grinned manically and pulled up the hem of his nightgown, giving her an eyeful. "Couldn't be bothered with boxers?" she murmured as she pulled the gown off over his head.

Nikola lay down docilly, the corner of his bright eyes crinkling with mirth. "I've always wanted a naughty nurse!" Helen chuckled and poured some oil on her hands, rubbing it between her palms to warm it. Nikola held his breath in anticipation then twitched a bit as she stoked her hands over his chest. The refreshing yet soothing scent was very relaxing and he breathed it in as deeply as he could. Helen frowned at the whistling sound his breath made. "Poor little thing. You never get sick. This must be hard for you." Her slick palms slid the oil over his slim arms, gently massaging the lean muscles, the sharp elbows, the bony wrists and finally, the long, elegant fingers. Nikola hummed happily, eyes drifting shut as she stoked and lightly pulled each finger then pressed firmly on his palms, squeezing and rubbing the muscles in little circles. "You could do this professionally..." he muttered, then groaned as she switched to massaging the narrow arches of his feet.

"What fine ankles. They're nearly as slim as mine." She commented. "You mean weak ankles." He groused, then accommodatingly lifted first one long leg then the other as she stroked and kneaded his calves and thighs. A naughty grin broke out on his face as her hand approached his hips. "A little higher!" He cried happily, then pouted when she slid her hand under one side of his body and started rolling him over. "Time to do the other side."

He accommodated her wishes with a whine, "But you didn't rub my belly..." Helen scoffed then rubbed the oil into his back and shoulders firmly. Nikola enjoyed the strength of her hands. "I like the pressure...feels good..." he sighed. In response his wife leaned into every stroke. He let his mind drift as she took his arm and pressed his wrist against the small of his back, raising his shoulder blade so she could massage underneath. It was a tantalizing feeling.

He remembered one time when Helen twisted his arm behind his back and forced him against a wall. She had been so angry about something, he couldn't remember what anymore, but he could remember how hard he'd gotten. The moan he let out, the way she laughed huskily as he shivered with arousal, the low tone of her voice as she told him to spread his legs for her, the memory was burned into his mind. She had fondled his buttocks then put her hand between his legs, cupped his balls and squeezed. The yelp he let out gave her so much satisfaction, she chuckled cruelly then shoved him face first into the wall with a warning not to anger her again. Of course, they both knew he would look for the first opportunity he could to make her discipline him again.

Nikola felt him cock hardening under his belly. "Helen...I'm getting..." He trailed off into a light coughing spell. "Yes darling?" She asked melodiously, as she pressed her warm hands along the muscles of his lower back, inadvertently rubbing him against the smooth slick sheet. He moaned softly, spread his slim thighs and ground his hot flesh voluptuously against the bed. "I wish you would rub my belly..." he whispered hoarsely then whimpered as his wife's firm hands kneaded his buttocks. "Oh yes, push harder..." Helen gave him a few good hard pushes then took her hands off him abruptly. When he whined in complaint, she slid a hand over the crease of his buttocks down to his sensitive balls. "Ah!" He was a bit startled as she took his sack in her hand and gently felt of the weight of his testicles. She hummed happily, enjoying exploring his body so freely. "Does this feel okay?" she whispered.

"Mmm, Yes Helen, it feels very nice. Can you, could you rub just behind them? It feels very good there." His wife complied and pressed firmly behind his testicles, massaging him wonderfully in small circles. He grunted softly as warmth swelled deep within his body, making him tilt his hips up toward his wife's watching eyes. "Helen, oh, Helen...please..." He spread his legs and started to raise his hips off the bed only to feel his wife firmly press them down. "No, no, no. You need to relax. Don't exert yourself." She whispered teasingly in his ear making him whimper with need. "I-Please, I won't-" He coughed lightly, then whined frustrated. "Could you make me cum? I'll lie still for you. No exertion at all." He turned his head to look back at her with a little smile. "Please, it would make me feel better..."

Helen couldn't say no to such a charming request. "Alright, alright. Let me get you a towel." She lifted him a little bit and put the towel under his hips, giving his erect penis an affectionate squeeze. Then she massaged oil in between his buttocks, sliding her fingers around his anus, gently stroking the muscles around the opening. "Relax darling. Come on and take it..." she crooned as she slipped her fingertips into his hole. He moaned as her finger slid up his ass and began searching for the soft spongy mass of his prostate. "You feel so hot and slick inside. Just like I do. Do you like having me inside of you?" The seductive whispers made him moan then he cried out softly in pleasure as her finger began pressing rhythmically against his prostate. Gradually the raw feeling intensified along with a sensation similar to having to urinate. He knew the difference, but even so it made him feel vulnerable and slightly humiliated.

He imagined Helen's reaction if he pissed himself. She would be gentle even as she scolded him, he knew it. The warmth he felt in his heart made him smile with delight. "Helen! Oh, please...just a little more..." he panted as his heartbeat quickened and his armpits started to sweat. His wife thrust her finger a little more firmly and rapidly against his innermost parts, making them jerk and throb with the beginnings of his orgasm. "Yes, my beautiful baby. Cum for me, that's right. Cum all over yourself for me." Nikola gave a broken sob as the liquid gushed out of him, slick and wet, soaking the towel under his hips. His asshole twitched around the finger gently petting the exhausted little gland until it withdrew, making him gasp softly. "Oh, did that hurt?" Helen whispered. Nikola mumbled something that sounded like a no, then it became obvious he was falling asleep. She smiled as she pulled the towel out from under her husband then placed a warm comforter over his exhausted body. "Sleep tight." She whispered in his ear as she kissed him goodnight.

...

"Henry, can I talk to you for a minute?" The young man looked up from his workbench and nodded quickly. "Sure thing Magnus. What's up?" He gestured toward a swivel chair and took a seat himself. His former boss sat down firmly then swallowed and steepled her fingers together briefly looking contemplative. She sighed and looked him in the eye and said seriously, "I don't think Will is suited to running the Sanctuary." Henry blinked once, shocked. "Uh, well..." He laughed nervously, "the thing is, you're the one who picked him, even trained him yourself. But you're having second thoughts...I guess?" The HAP raised his brows looking a bit bewildered and out of his depth. Helen nodded solemnly and resolutely. He recognized that look. She had made up her mind.

Henry sighed, feeling suddenly exhausted. "I think you should call Declan at the London Sanctuary. He knows more about what you should do, why specifically you picked Will as your successor in the first place. I don't really know what your reasoning was...you were kinda...uh, secretive, to be honest..." Helen shook her head, looking uncertain. "Will has been saying a lot of negative things about how I've chosen to spend the Sanctuary funds that are from my own personal funds and I started to worry about it, so I read through the Sanctuary bylaws. I'd rather leave other Sanctuary heads out of our business. The last thing I want is more people involved in deciding anything about my own money."

Henry nodded in agreement then waved his hand through the air as if trying to ward off any presumptions on her part. "That's totally understandable, but I really don't want to take sides between you and Will. Maybe he's just taking a while to get up to speed-" "No, I don't think so." Helen interrupted, "It's fine for you to sit out on the sidelines, I just want to make sure you won't side against me. Will is making poor decisions and I don't trust the people he's chosen. They're not a good team. They lack leadership, and Will is unwilling to acknowledge who is the best person for the job." The HAP cocked his head to the side bemused, "You're not...are you talking about Tesla?"

Helen nodded sharply, "Yes, he was the best person to lead the team on the last mission. I was there and it was a fiasco." Henry shook his head slowly, "Uh, I guess you would know best as I wasn't there. It's really weird to hear you say something like that though. We both know he hasn't been the most reliable person in the world for, well, probably ninety percent of the time I've known him..." Magnus looked down and furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "Well, yes, I understand he has been unreliable in many ways in the past. It's just, now he, he has become responsible. He has to be. And...I trust him. More than I trust Will at this point to be honest. Something...I just have a feeling that Will is...when he looks at me..." she trailed off uncertainly, then shook her head frustrated, "I think I've forgotten something important. Something he did or said, before..." she waved at her head vaguely, indicating her injury and subsequent memory loss.

Henry sat up straight with shock, "Did he do something-?" His adoptive mother shook her head looking distressed and helpless. "I can't remember. It's just a feeling, so I don't know." His muscles tensed with fear that was rapidly turning into anger. "Are you-do you ever feel scared of...him?" The words were compressed rage as his breath accelerated and he felt himself shift ever so slightly, his teeth sharpening in his mouth. "No, nothing like that." Helen was quick to reply, making placating gestures with her hands. "It's more like a discomfort, stronger than annoyance, maybe a bit of...anxiety. But it's not fear, not disgust, nothing like that."

Her adoptive son took a deep shaky breath trying to force himself to calm down. "Okay, okay...Will, um, he wouldn't do anything, criminal. So, maybe he just said something and it was a bit inappropriate. I have seen him do that once before, then he apologized. Do you think that...he has some kind of feelings for...?" Henry trailed off looking grossed out even having to say the words while watching Magnus' face tensely. Her gaze turned inward as she reviewed her interactions with Will then she shook her head uncertainly. "I don't know. Jealousy would explain some of his attitude though. Do you think he was upset when I married Nikola?" Henry found the vulnerability she was displaying asking him to remember her life for her heartbreaking. Was this how Tesla felt all this time?

Henry sat frozen, uncomfortable with the conclusion he was forced to make. "Yeah. He was. Even took you aside and asked you if you were sure. I don't know exactly what was said after that because you took him to your office to speak in private, but the two of you were real cold and professional for a while." Helen nodded slowly, "Hmm, well, I'm not sure what happened but, I think it's clear from context that I let him know I was sure about Nikola in no uncertain terms." She looked down pensively and muttered almost to herself, "Yes, I was certain then as well…" Henry sighed and shook his head, "Yeah, you know him best, or I guess, you knew him…"

Helen looked up at Henry surprised, "I remember some things from Oxford; how he was then. Enough to know the Blood changed him drastically, and the Nikola we have now, he is like his former self, before the Blood. He was my first and best friend…" Henry cocked his head, puzzled. "I always thought that it was James. Wasn't he a family friend? And I guess you became…close…later on." He coughed to cover up his discomfort at addressing his adoptive mom's love life. Helen nodded, "He was my father's friend for long before I got to know him personally. We were so formal…" She smiled a secretive smile. "Nikola wasn't like that at all. I do remember that…"

Henry decided to bite the bullet. "What was he like then?" She pulled out of her reverie and frowned lightly. "He was…just charming. Like a child; guileless and natural. There was this shine in his eyes and his smile was always…I can't describe it…It was like he had one foot in this world and another in some secret fantasy kingdom that only he could see. But he wanted so bad to show it to you. If he liked you. If he trusted you." Henry grinned, "Yes, he always wants to share his ideas-" She laughed, "Yes, that never changes does it? But, you have to realize, Nikola hardly had any inventions under his belt yet. He was just a dreamy college boy that most people thought half-cracked." "Still comes off that way sometimes." They both chuckled a bit at Nikola's expense. "Yes, he is a grand eccentric, isn't he?"

…

"Henry." The HAP looked up in surprise as his usually flippant coworker addressed him in a low, serious voice. "What's up?" he said softly, wondering if the older man was alright.

"Does Helen seem…different to you? Maybe, a bit…" Tesla furrowed his brow and looked down pensively. "…recovered slightly?" He looked back up into Henry's eyes with palpable anxiety and hope.

Henry cleared his throat awkwardly and stuttered, "Uh, lemme think…um, well, she seems forceful, wants to make some decisions all of a sudden…" He laughed nervously, trying to lighten the mood. "She actually came to me and was pretty much saying-you'll think it's funny-she was saying that you'd make a better head of the Sanctuary than Will. Can you believe it?"

Tesla did a double take. Henry broke out laughing at the sight. "Wow, your face!"

The Serb tsked annoyed by the levity and shook his head, "Quiet down! This is, it's not good. This could lead to very serious problems." The young HAP swallowed and nodded tightly. "Yeah, I guess so. But it's just so crazy, the whole thing. She's turned against Will after Nepal, thinks it's entirely his fault, doesn't trust the new team, said she definitely doesn't want Declan or anyone else in the network involved…Yeah, I know it's bad."

Nikola steepled his fingers, turned and paced restlessly. "I've seen it before. That deep-seated distrust, the snap decision that someone is just…out, and her secretiveness; they combine into an implacable resolve to get exactly what she wants, whatever the means…" Henry shivered as he pictured the wrath of Helen Magnus turned against him, then tried to shake off his disquiet. "But, she, I mean, isn't she wrong this time? It's not like Will is a stran-" Tesla raised a hand, cutting him off.

"She doesn't know any of us that well anymore. What did you say when she told you she doesn't trust Will?" "I told her she picked him, and I said that I didn't want to take sides-" "Good! Yes, that's very good. Stay out of it." Tesla pointed at him imperiously, like some sort of stern father figure, then turned abruptly on his heel and stormed out of the lab.

Henry stared at the door as it swung shut for a moment, then opened his mouth briefly considering if he should tell his mentor about what else Magnus had said, then decided against it. After all, there wasn't really anything to tell, it was just a feeling.

…


	8. Chapter 8

_She hadn't been sure that she actually remembered how to drive, especially when she saw the sleek touch screen in the middle of the dashboard. But when she looked through all the keys hanging on hooks just outside of the garage this was the one that had her name on it, along with 'Tesla!' handwritten under it. _

_The ultramodern vehicle gave her trouble for a few moments, but she quickly got the hang of it. Soon enough she was cruising aimlessly, her only goal to get away from the people in her life and the pressure she felt being with them. Her reaction to her husband's brandy loosened tongue had surprised her. Of course she had felt sad and a deep sense of disappointment, but that feeling of being let down by him was so familiar it was almost comforting in a strange way. _

_She pulled into a public park. Nothing about it seemed familiar, but the car's GPS ensured that there was no way she could get lost. She rolled down the windows and sat back enjoying the sound of the breeze rustling through the trees. Entries from her diary ran through her mind. The words she had written when she had been that other version of Helen Magnus had seemed both familiar and foreign. The tone of her voice was discernable through the written words; brusque, erudite, with a dry sense of humour. She wondered if she had retained anything of her other self. Maybe her impatience. _

_The picture the entries painted of her husband were not flattering for the most part. He was 'an ass' and 'devious to a fault.' Yet, she seemed to find his unpredictability rather amusing. Perhaps, with such a long life she looked forward to being surprised? Besides the exasperation, there was also a strong, almost unvoiced undercurrent of concern and affection. Occasionally, there was the dismissal of his faults as 'due to his vampiric egomania.' _

_One entry had wistfully mentioned their friendship at Oxford commenting that his 'childish failings of yesteryear had pained him so much, and yet now he has no shame.' Her past self wondered if he, having lost the capacity to suffer, was better off or a mere imitation of his former self. It was evident that she viewed Nikola as a sort of simulacrum she was the author of, through her experimentation with the source blood. Helen sensed a dark undercurrent of guilt in the entry. _

_The drinking was very like the antics of a college boy…Was he simply returning to form? She had read his autobiography of course and found it rather funny. He was always getting into scrapes even as a child. And his college years had been a disaster. He had never completed his courses and did not have a degree from anywhere. Yet, he was an earthshaking genius! As she read, she had laughed out loud. He was irresistible, but…he was and always would be trouble, it seemed. _

_She watched the sun rise then, feeling sufficiently relaxed, Helen started up the car and began driving at random. The model S was a pleasure to drive, smooth, sleek and silent. She wondered if Nikola was tickled by his namesake and had asked her to buy it for him. She could imagine it so vividly she wondered if it was really a memory. _

_A series of banners hanging from the streetlights caught her eye. 'Master of Lighting! The Tesla Exhibit now at the Science Museum!' She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Is it a sign? Yes, literally!" She laughed and instructed the GPS to direct her to the Science Museum. _

…

"What is this woman's qualifications? She hardly seemed to know what I was talking about when I told her to make an IV of warmed fluids. And the man! He actually neglected to mention that we had tracking devices in our parkas until it was almost too late. That level of incompetence is ludicrous. And besides that, whose decision was it to put it there? What if someone lost their clothes? I already put Nikola to work on miniaturizing one for a flesh colored patch that will be harder to lose."

Will rested his head in his hands and let her rant. It was evident to him that the sower of chaos known as Tesla, had infiltrated Helen's mind, and now all his machinations were coming to fruition. How had he created this situation? Helen spending her money, which was still no different than Sanctuary money, on Tesla's R&D, ostensibly to prevent future threats in the field, but were no doubt nothing more than his pet projects. The expense of miniaturizing components wasn't exorbitant, but it remained imprudent given their budget deficit.

Finally he couldn't take it anymore and burst out, "Don't you see what he is doing? To you? To the Sanctuary?! He may be a genius, but when it comes to money HE IS A FOOL! Look at how he ruined his career! Wardenclyffe was a monument to not only his only folly, but J.P. Morgan's as well. How can you be so blind as to follow in his footsteps!"

Helen snapped and slammed her fist on Will's desk. "You are out of line! I bring up my valid concerns with the team you picked, whose negligence was so great, lives literally hung in the balance, and you have the gall to use it as a springboard to attack my husband, my marriage and myself?! How dare you! You are so full of this irrational hatred!"

"It's not hatred and it's not irrational!" Will stared at her resentfully for a bit then attempted to calm things down. "Look, I know he…He did a lot for you, helped you recover, but you just don't understand what he is really like-" Helen cut him off, "I read my journals. I know the facts, what he was like, why I married him, everything. Will…He is not his illness. You should know that." The blond laced her fingers near her waist, trying to stop her hands from shaking, then took a deep calming breath and continued, "I really think, Jim is not a good fit, and Tanya should be transferred. She just doesn't have the skills we need."

Will tried to compromise, "Maybe Jim made some poor decisions, but he was the strongest available candidate. There just isn't anyone else-" "Nikola made better decisions-" Will cut her off with a sharp gesture, "I'm not having this conversation. I'm tired of arguing with you when it's clear that you're not thinking clearly. Like it or not now, you appointed me to this position. I choose our staff and I allocate the funds. Not you." Helen abruptly threw up her hands and decided to live to fight another day. "Alright, fine. Just start trying to transfer Tanya." The current head of the Sanctuary sighed, "I'll see what I can do."

…

_The Science Museum was a lovely modernist building, all clean white curves, glass and steel. Something about the style still appealed to her, despite its many failings. It had the whiff of dreams too pure for the real world, ideals too high and too harsh. She liked its harshness, it suited her. _

_She made her way to the Tesla exhibit. They had the obligatory coil that was switched on every half hour to demonstrate wireless electricity. A neon light spelled out the words 'World Wireless,' another ideal that had failed the litmus test of reality. _

_A pensive mood came over her. Maybe her own ideals were just the same. Perhaps her vision of a world in which those rare, strange and often dangerous creatures known as abnormals could not only live in peace but thrive, was nothing more than the imaginings of another half-cracked college kid. She couldn't help but notice that abnormals' existence was so often incompatible with the current order of human societies. Did her life's work amount to little more than a glorified zoo that could never give her charges a satisfactory life?_

_She shook off her dark thoughts and continued down the exhibit hall, drawn to a series of photos of her dearest friend. He looked so sad as a small boy, and it was no wonder, the caption explained that he was tormented by hallucinations. As she read how he would touch the images to see if they were real or not she was suddenly thrown into a vivid memory._

**_"I thought about that Arabian horse a lot. It was so beautiful, pure white, a perfect wide brow that tapered to such a delicate nose. It was very smart and saved my father's life once. I never thought it could do wrong…" _**

**_Nikola paused in his story, the gaslight flickered in his eyes, making them appear dark and haunted. "And then it appeared over the hill. Dane was riding it too fast as usual. He was too daring, we all knew, but no one said a word. He could never do wrong either." He sniffed then sighed defeated, "I was the one who always did wrong. Somehow, I was just…troublesome." _**

**_He looked her in the eye and asked flat out, "Helen, do you think I am mad?" She adamantly denied it but he couldn't be persuaded. "Am I poison? There's so much evidence for that. I wish-" His voice broke and he turned away, hiding his face as he continued, "-I wish I could believe my own stories. That there was some great, fateful reason for it all. Please tell me, Helen, why didn't I realize my brother on that horse was real?"_**

_The photo of the sad little boy blurred before her eyes. Helen wiped away her tears and whispered, "I don't know. All I know is, it made you who you are, and I love you."_

…

Nikola showed her the miniaturized tracker side by side with the original. "Here you can see that the polymer is different. That is what allowed us to make the improvements. Henry is actually not bad at nanotech, though he still needs work when it comes to mechanical devices rather than electronics." Helen nodded absently, then interrupted his stream of technobabble. "Have you tested it yet?" He nodded, unbuttoned his sleeve and pulled it up to reveal a patch stuck to his arm. "Henry has been tracking me around the place. But we still need to see if it is accurate long distance. Wanna go for a drive?" Apparently, she found his mischievous grin too hard to resist. "Alright, take me for a ride." He laughed delighted. "Yes ma'am!"

Nikola grabbed the keys and opened the door to the sedan for his wife. She smiled at him through the window as he closed the door securely. A warm tenderness filled his heart and he smiled back at her. As he sat behind the steering wheel she reached for his hand and held it for a moment. Her hands were so soft now. The callouses had faded and her grip was gentle. He gave her hand a squeeze then drove them out of the garage.

"Remember the day I ran away?" The unexpected question made him tense up. He glanced over at his wife and replied, "Yes…" She swallowed, a bit nervous. "I saw the Tesla exhibit at the Science Museum." He let out a sharp laugh. "Oh, and how was it?" She smiled ruefully, "I wanted to understand you…and I remembered something." Nikola hummed with interest, "Really, it brought back memories?" She nodded and said carefully, "You told me how Dane died." He felt the blood drain from his face as a cold tightness settled in his chest.

He wondered if he should put on Auto-Pilot or just pull over. Before he did either his wife put her hand on his knee. "I remembered it was then I started falling in love with you. But I didn't tell you. I tried to pretend-" He abruptly pulled over, "Because I wasn't good enough, right?! I've never been good enough, not for you or anybody-" She tried to shush him, but he couldn't dam the torrent now that it was bursting forth. "It's dangerous. I-wasn't I dangerous? For so long…and what about now? What if Will is right and I can't, if I ruin your dreams-" "No, no, Nikola, I wanted to tell you-" "I tried to kill you. I went crazy and-" His voice caught on a sob. "Nikola, oh no…I didn't mean-I'm sorry, don't cry."

She tried to comfort him, but he couldn't stand to be touched. After several minutes he managed to regain control enough to say, "No, I'm sorry. All this is my fault. You got hurt because I'm cursed. Everyone I love-" his voice broke and he had to stop. Helen took advantage to say, "There's no such thing as curses. What kind of scientist believes in that?" He laughed bitterly, "I'm no scientist. Just a crackpot that could memorize trigonometric tables as a boy." Helen smiled sadly, "I'll love you if you're strong or weak, smart or stupid, sane or insane." He sat there stiffly then huffed, "You got the quote wrong I think." She laughed at his dumb joke and it proved contagious.

The tension drained out of him and he just felt tired and depressed. When she reached for him, he embraced his wife and pressed his face into her neck. The comforting scent of her was a pale memory of what his vampiric senses had been able to detect. Before his devamping, he could tell so much about her from her scent alone. He used to savor the intimacy of it, though he was constantly tormented by the undertone of her blood. At least he no longer had those problems. Only his original ones. "Helen, I love you." She murmured into his hair, "I know." He enjoyed the feeling of her stroking his head for a bit then said, "I wish I were good for you, that I could really help you, take care of you. I wish I could protect you from all harm."

Helen pulled back from him to look him in the eyes, "I know. You devoted a lifetime to trying to make the whole world safer. How much more can you expect from yourself?" He sighed then blurted out, "No one with any sense should have anything to do with me. When you asked me to marry you I was overjoyed, but I didn't understand why and was too afraid to ask. But now, I need to know. Why?" He watched her face carefully as her gaze turned inward, trying to grasp the slippery sand that was her memories. "I wrote in my dairy the day I proposed that I had to have you fully. I was afraid of losing you without ever showing you how I feel. I know you will grow old and I will not and it hurts so much I can't bear to think about it. But at least, we will have this time together, and I don't care what happens because of it. I don't care if I lose everything, if my dreams lie in ruins, if the whole world ends, so long as I have you. As much of you as I can for as long as I can. I-I can't say it strongly enough-I am willing to be destroyed for the love of you."

Nikola went very still and thought, 'How could she feel that way about me? I can't live up to a love like this.' He suddenly felt very small. "Helen. I would live my whole life for you. I would die for you. But, I have to protect you and your dreams from my-my flaws. You don't remember me at my worst. You don't know, but Henry does, Will does. I do."

"That was before. You are only human now-" "I was human when I gambled away my tuition and dropped out. I lost my sanity. Everyone thought I killed myself. Honestly, I am surprised that I didn't. The next thing I knew I was being dragged home by the police. The look on my father's face. I hurt him…and he died." "Nikola, that was so long ago."

"I remember it like just happened. I remember everything, even what I did and felt and thought when I was crazy. Do you know what it is like, remembering another you?" Helen looked distressed and nodded uncertainly. He continued, "I was working in Budapest at the job my uncles got me, and just getting worse and worse. It was clear to the doctors that I was losing my mind and there was nothing they could do for me. I waited for death but it never came."

Helen protested, "Yes, instead you had the vision of your motor." He nodded and continued, "At that time, I could feel God and the Evil One with me at every moment. When my vision came I felt like Jacob seeing the ladder to Heaven. I remember thinking that everything in my life made sense. The flashes of light I had seen since I was a boy were very like flames; they were the Holy Spirit and this vision was proof. I absolutely knew the induction motor would work and when I built a prototype, it absolutely did. When you met me I was already convinced that I was God's instrument on Earth."

Helen smiled gently, "You never said as much, but I remember your confidence. I'm not surprised." Nikola shook his head, "That's why I never cared about being a drop out. That's why I took the Source Blood. I thought it was destiny. I was high on the idea of divine intervention." His wife looked sincerely curious, "Do you still believe it?" He thought for a moment and shrugged, "Half of me believes it without question, the other half reasons that it is the sort of thing a crazy person would believe and therefore I must be crazy. But besides that, I feel like asking me if _I_ believe it, is sort of a nonsensical question. What it actually feels like is that the me the vision happened to sort of split off from the rest of me and is sort of, waiting, off in the wings so to speak…When I ask myself what I think or feel, he sort of chimes in, because I remember being him…" Helen was clearly not able to relate to it from her own experience given the troubled expression on her face as she mulled over his description.

"You see? I am…unstable, and I wish I weren't because I am afraid. I could lose myself, the person sitting here in front of you now, the only version of me that you have ever met, the person that you rely on-" Helen broke in, "Do you ever wonder why I am not afraid to be in this car?" Nikola stopped short, thrown out of his anxious spiraling. "I assumed that it was because you can't remember the accident." Helen shook her head, "It's true I don't consciously remember it, but when I get in a car, I do feel scared. But I know that the accident happened, it is in the past and I can't control that. I can only control the present to try and influence the future. When I am in a car, I try to focus on and enjoy the moment because paying attention to now is how we can be safe. The past doesn't determine the future."

Nikola sighed and nodded slowly, "I know. I can think it, but I don't feel it." Helen embraced him closely again. "It's okay. Just keep thinking with your brain and not your emotions and you will be fine." Nikola held his wife tightly, until the clinging turned into something less filled with fear and more a source of pleasure and joy. The feeling of her hands rubbing his back seemed transformed into the most sensual of caresses. They seemed to penetrate to the core of him, taking away all his tension and fear. He felt so safe in her arms, and he knew it was illusory, but it didn't seem that way.

"Darling, what did you want to say?" "Hmm?" "Before I got upset. You said you wanted to say something to me." "Oh, I wanted to say that we are the same. Everything we've worked for might turn out to be nothing more than the enthusiasms of two young people and come to naught. But I am grateful that our dreams led us to each other." Nikola smiled and kissed her blond hair. "Me too."

…


	9. Chapter 9

Will had been loathe to use the man but he had to acknowledge his expertise. The Tokyo Sanctuary had even gone so far as to request Tesla by name to help them install their new green energy power generator. At least the troublesome Serb would be out of his hair for the next few days. He was also enjoying the thought that Tesla wouldn't get the chance to investigate the giant Oriental hornets that had just arrived. The scientist had expressed interest in their ability to generate solar power with their exoskeletons. With any luck, the pigeon-sized insects would be back in Madagascar before he returned.

Helen had taken to the hornets with surprising enthusiasm. Despite Sunny having no background in animal science, medicine or even biology, Helen had chosen her to help feed, sedate and groom the deadly insects, removing the mites that seemed to be causing their sluggishness. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the hornets' condition had not improved. Tanya had been of no use. She refused to work with the rather dangerous creatures with the excuse that she had no experience or background in entomology. Predictably, Helen had more than a few choice words about that before going back to the hornets' enclosure and turning up the sunlamps in an attempt to help them generate more energy.

A knock at the door caught his attention. "Yes?" Henry opened the door. "Hey, have you noticed anything screwy with your laptop? I just detected a signal surge from the wireless router and now there's some kind of electromagnetic interference and these random glitches are happening all throughout our whole system. It's worse than any virus I've ever seen!" Just then Will laptop crashed. "Shit! I was right in the middle of-" Henry grabbed the computer and took it away. "Damn it! I better turn the whole system off. How did this happen? I already turned the router off…"

As he was leaving Helen came in. "The wasps are flying! Sunny's idea to turn the sunlamps up higher worked! After a while they started shaking their wings and then they took off!" She seemed so like her old self that Will couldn't help but be caught up in her joy. "That's wonderful! You cured them!" Gradually, their mutual happiness faded into an awkward silence. Helen cleared her throat softly, "There were all kinds of crazy readings on my Pad right after. I think that there must have been some sort of overloading of the system. The sensors are malfunctioning." Will hummed, "Henry was just in here saying the same thing. The whole network is having problems. You better take your Pad to him and have him look at it too." Helen furrowed her brow rather cutely. "I'll have to get Nikola's Pad too." She turned on her heel and walked briskly out. Will sighed to the empty room, "Yes, of course that's her priority."

…

Henry groaned as he found another weird bug in the computer system. The contents of several folders were impossible to sort out. It was almost like someone reached in and scrambled them. Half the sensor readings were showing up in the file for surveillance recordings. "What the hell…?!" He was overwhelmed and mystified. "What could have possibly done this?" he muttered then decided he would need assistance to tackle such a huge problem. "Big Guy could at least look through the PADs and see what's in the wrong place…"

"Talking to yourself isn't a good sign." He turned to find the Sasquatch at the door. "Oh, you're just in time. Take Tesla's Pad and look through the sensors' files. See if there's other kinds of data in there, okay? I haven't had time to check his yet, but it's probably like the others…" He trailed off as he got reabsorbed into his work. Big Guy sighed and ambled away toward the sitting room. He figured he might as well be comfortable while doing such tedious work.

…

Will rolled into the sitting room to find Big Guy looking at a PAD with a strange look on his face. "Is that Tesla's?" He asked idly. Big Guy looked up casually. "Uh huh. Henry asked me to look through the files because something is moving the data around…" He trailed off, obviously considering his next words. Will did his best impression of attentive psychologist and nodded encouragingly. Finally, the Sasquatch asked, "Uh, humans do mate like other mammals, right?" Will chuckled nervously then tried to smooth it over by saying seriously, "Yes, though face-to-face is more common than with other animals. Why, did you find a bunch of porn on Tesla's Pad?" At the furry abnormal's nod he scoffed and shook his head. "Typical."

Big Guy continued, "I opened what was supposed to be sensor readings from the chimera's enclosure and a video with him and Helen came up-" "It has Helen?!" Will was outraged and disgusted. "Uh huh. At first they were talking…It was-" The Sasquatch seemed bewildered. "Why he would say things like that…Well, I really don't understand humans sometimes, so maybe you should look at that. That made no sense. And then they started…mating, I guess. I'm not sure Tesla knows how to do it right." He snorted out a short guttural laugh, handed Will the Pad then got up to leave. Will scrunched up his face awkwardly. "Hey man, grab a magazine or something and cover up, okay?" Big Guy glanced down at himself, shook his head and grabbed a book. "Humans." He muttered as he left.

Will held the Pad gingerly, grossed out by the thought of what was on it, in both the digital and physical sense. He caught himself looking around furtively, then decided this was probably something he should investigate in the privacy of his office.

The trip down the hall was a blur. He quickly locked the door and took himself over to his desk. After a moment of mental preparation, he firmly pressed the home key only to be confronted by the shocking sight of Tesla's cock pumping in and out of Helen's mouth. "Oh god!" He turned it off and threw the Pad on the desk, then held his head in his hands and wished he could still pace. "Goddamn it!" He yelled and slammed his fist down on the armrest of his wheelchair. It felt like the pornographic image he had glimpsed was burned into his eyes. The naked buttocks flexing, anus clearly visible, the dangling testicles slapping against her wet face, thrusting…

Will whined, horrified by the vision. "Why? Why him? How could you…?!" He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself as he realized he had to see what Tesla had said. Big Guy had seemed disturbed by what he had heard, which seemed out of character for someone who had such a naturalistic view of sexuality. He steeled himself and turned the screen back on.

Helen was lying on her back, head hanging off the edge of the bed, as Tesla fucked her mouth brutally. Will found himself riveted to the sight of her helpless face, her blue eyes…The camera was too far away from her to be able to read any emotions in them. He could hear Tesla's voice faintly, turned up the volume slightly, wary of anyone overhearing the sloppy wet sounds, and held the Pad closer to his ear only to hear that hated voice crooning, "This is what you're good for. Your mouth is another hole you've offered to me, willingly, for me to use this way. What a good, sweet girl you are, giving me so much pleasure-"

Will gagged, "Ugh! That disgusting, perverted…!" He moved the Pad away from his face, then reluctantly touched the screen and rewound to before they started. He reached the beginning of the clip, pressed play again and quickly realized that he would have to turn the volume up fully in order to hear their conversation. Glancing anxiously at the door, he pressed the volume key.

"Helen Magnus…" Tesla hissed in his habitual scornful tone as he circled his wife. She stood there completely nude while he was fully clothed in one of those ridiculous suits. "Philanthropist, crypto-zoologist, doctor." He stopped behind her and leaned over her shoulder to whisper in her ear. Will growled frustrated at the inability to hear whatever that bastard said that put the distressed look on Helen's face. The Serb slid his arms around her and rested his hands around her waist. "Hm, getting a little beefy here, are we?" he said archly then reached for her ample bosom. His long fingers spread over and squeezed the tender flesh, reminding Will of the talons of a bird of prey.

"A bit lacking here though." He laughed when she protested inaudibly. "Yes, yes, I know you'd like to think that you're more than a body, but since the accident…" Helen shook her head, but Tesla continued. "You know that you're stupid now. Brain damaged. Useless. I let you do the make-work you've found for yourself. All that cooking and cleaning. I know you do it to make yourself feel like you're still worth something, like you still have something to contribute." Helen protested inaudibly again until Tesla shushed her. "Be quiet. You know that the only thing you excel at anymore is spreading your legs. Unfortunately, I've been getting a little tired of that loose pussy of yours lately."

She audibly protested, "No it's not!" Tesla covered her mouth with his hand. "So many, many men have had it. What a dirty, horny thing you were. Always enjoying a ride. Nigel was the only one you left out. Admit it!" He released her with a little shove, pushing her toward the bed. She looked down shamefacedly but said nothing. "That's right. Too ashamed to even say what a lustful tom you were." "Please, don't call me that! You know I hate it!" Tesla hesitated for a moment then continued, "Alright, I apologize, but only because you are different now. You are only for me now. You want only me. To please only me." Helen nodded, "Yes, darling. Please let me…" He let her reach for his tie and begin undressing him.

Once he was as naked as her, he pushed her down on the bed and crooned patronizingly, "My good, obedient wife. I think I will show you exactly what you can do to best prove your worth to me…"

Will quickly shut the screen off, already knowing what was coming next. For several long silent moments he just sat there, directionless, his thoughts swirling in conflicting directions. 'It's really true…some part of me didn't want to believe it…how can she bear it? I guess, she really doesn't know any better, with the way he's mindfucked her-ugh, more like literally…so disgusting, what kind of sick freak would do what he's done?! God, why does she let him…? She must believe she actually deserves this. Who knows how much psychological damage he's done…Why didn't I put a stop to this earlier?' The phone rang throwing him out of his reverie. He picked it up and answered reflexively only to experience a sensation like cold water being dumped on him when he heard Helen's voice.

"Will, do you have Nikola's Pad? Henry has been asking for it and Big Guy said he gave it to you." Will stuttered, "Did I see-I mean, yeah. I have it. Did Big Guy tell you-um, uh, anything?" "What? No, he just said you have it. Why, did he want to tell me something?" Will laughed nervously, "No, no. I'll get the Pad to Henry ASAP. Big Guy must have got tired of it. He's really not interested in technology. I don't know why Henry was having him look at it!" Helen replied with a doubtful tone, "Uh, I guess so. Just, make sure it gets back quick. I don't want Nikola to have to worry about any problems with the system when he returns." She hung up with a click, not even bothering to say goodbye.

Will shook his head disgusted by how well Tesla had her brainwashed. Abruptly, he decided on a course of action and pulled open a desk drawer to get a cable. He quickly opened the file and downloaded it onto his laptop then deleted the original. "There. No reason for Henry to have to see what I've seen, and now I have proof. Fuck that bastard." He muttered to himself, then wheeled his way to the door, the Pad in his lap.

_…_

"I'm so glad you're home!" Helen exclaimed with an ecstatic smile as she embraced her husband. "How was Tokyo? I heard it was very hot there." Nikola nodded, "It was like stepping into a steam room it was so humid. Worse than here anyway." Helen took her husband by the arm and guided him to the car. "Did you have a good time setting up their generator?" He nodded absently as he opened the passenger door and held it open for her. She let go of his arm, shook her head at him with a little smirk then walked around to the driver's side and got in. Nikola huffed with amusement then got it the passenger's seat.

"Enjoying driving this marvel of electrical engineering?" "Ha ha. Yes, I've been doing a lot while you were gone. We were able to cure those hornets you were so fascinated by-" "Are they still around? I really think there's a lot I could learn about electrical generation from a biological example like that-" "Sorry, they went home to Madagascar already, but they left behind an even more interesting abnormal. They had some parasites that fed off their bioelectricity-that was why they were so sluggish-and they ended up getting into our wireless network through the sensors."

Nikola's eyes widened, "Really? What sort of effect did they have?" Helen scoffed, "They screwed up every computer and Pad in the Sanctuary. Scrambled the files mostly-" "Did we lose data?" She shook her head, "No, just made a bunch of work for Henry, putting everything back where it should be." Nikola relaxed and placed his hand on her knee. "Am I going home to the drudgery of helping him, or has it already been taken care of?" Helen patted his hand then casually moved it a little further up. Nikola grinned roguishly and squeezed her thigh. She hummed distracted, "Ah, yes, it has. We even put the little beasties in containment…"

She glanced at him sidelong, giving him a flirtatious look. "After such a long flight, I bet you can't wait to get back to your own bed." Her husband slid his hand a little further up. "I'm not sure I can wait…" She slapped his hand away playfully and laughed, "I'm driving!" He hummed seductively and leaned into her space, "There's a good spot to park just up there…"

…

"Come on Helen…It was such a long trip…" Tesla was whining as the couple made their way down the hall from the elevator. Will curled his lip as he overheard yet another example of the man's long running sexual harassment of Magnus. With effort he managed to wipe the look of contempt off his face long enough to pass them in the hall. Tesla didn't manage to hide his look of annoyance fast enough when he had to step aside to let Will's wheelchair pass. Helen greeted him with stilted politeness while Tesla merely gave a curt hello.

After returning Helen's greeting Will got right to the point. "You're back. How did the work go?" The older man rolled his eyes and sighed, "Well enough I suppose. Installation went flawlessly. I worked nonstop and had it done in three days, then Onryuji made me stay for the rest of the time, just in case there were any problems. I don't know if he was just being overly cautious or if it was some sort of passive aggressive criticism-" Will snorted, "Probably the latter. Doing it that fast probably looked negligent to him. The way everything is always about your own convenience…" He scoffed smugly, "One day some careless move is going to jump up and bite you." Tesla raised one brow, stared down his long nose archly and replied in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "Thank you for that pearl of wisdom."

Helen sighed annoyed by the pissing contest. "Well, now that you're all caught up, I'm sure Nikola is jet lagged, so goodbye Will." She grabbed her husband by the arm and pulled him toward their door. Will crinkled his nose as he heard Tesla's voice trailing down the hall, "Ooh, can't wait, can you!" He was only able to relax when he heard the click of door closing. As he wheeled toward the elevator he muttered, "when the time is right…"

…

"What did you do during the extra four days you were stuck there?" Helen took off his coat and hung it up for him. The inventor loosened his tie and smiled at his wife. "I saw the sights…found a bit of a red light district-" She guffawed, "Of course you did! Sex addiction is just over the horizon, you know." He came up behind her and put a book in front of her face. She took it from him and started thumbing through the glossy photos of women of various ethnicities tied artfully with jute rope. "They turn everything into an artform it seems…" she mused as her eyes ran over a particularly fancy leg bind. The ropes made an exquisite herringbone pattern as they bound shin to thigh, forcing the model's legs wide open. "It looks like a lot of work." Nikola produced some rope with a jaunty smile. "Want to help me practice?"

…

Helen straightened her posture as the first candidate came in for interviews. Will sat behind the table on her right side, slightly too close for comfort and looked at her pointedly. Apparently, he wanted to put her on the spot a little for making him find a new veterinarian to replace Tanya. She cleared her throat nervously and gestured for the middle-aged man to sit down across from them.

"I'm Helen Magnus and this is Will Zimmerman. It's good to finally meet you Mr. Buga-Bugayis-" "Bugajski." She smiled wanly, "Ah yes, Bugajski. Now, it says here that the majority of your background was in Animal Science, especially livestock, then you decided to change to small animal veterinary practice. There you worked with not only mammals, but also lizards and birds. This certainly makes you a strong candidate for the position, but I must ask, have you any experience in entomology, microbiology and paleontology?" The slightly balding fellow, smiled excitedly, "Yes, amateur paleontology has been my hobby for quite some time, and we often got tarantulas at the clinic, so I was forced to pick up some entomology. As for microbiology, I've had the standard training that all veterinarians go through."

Helen smiled at him more genuinely and began asking him how he became aware of the existence of abnormals. As he told his story of working with the Sydney Sanctuary due to having many abnormal clients, she carefully took in his expression. When she asked about his coworkers a microexpression of annoyance flashed over his face. He tried to make light of various office conflicts with veterinary assistants, but she was starting to get a bad feeling. Carefully masking her suspicions, she thanked him for his time and sent him on his way. By his broad smile as he left it seemed that he thought he had the job in the bag.

The moment the door closed she turned to Will and asked, "What was your impression?" The young man immediately answered, "He seemed imminently qualified. Has all the qualifications we're looking for, an interest in learning more, close and trusted relations with another Sanctuary-" Helen raised one brow archly and looked down her nose at him. Will frowned at the familiar expression on her face and added, "and he probably abuses his staff somehow." Helen smiled and nodded, "Good, you caught it. Now why you let Tanya slip through…she's a troublemaker and shirker. You know that. Why would you pick her?" Will sighed, "There just wasn't anyone I could picture filling your shoes."

When she scoffed and rolled her eyes, Will's gaze softened and he smiled slowly. "You…You know you're becoming more like your old self. Have you been noticing any changes with concentration, attention span, that sort of thing?" Nonplussed by his sudden change in topic and the personal nature of his queries, Helen replied, "I haven't thought about it. Really, that is a matter for me to discuss with my doctor-" Will nodded sagely, "Yes, you should make an appointment and be assessed. Who knows how much you've healed without noticing. Maybe it is time you resumed your studies and-" She frowned with annoyance. "That's really none of your business Will." "But it is. If you're going to be taking a more active role in the Sanctuary again-"

She leaned away from him, exasperated by how he was leaning into her space intrusively. "Will, stop. You're making me uncomfortable." He just huffed with amusement and leaned back a bit. "Sorry, I'm just happy for you. You'll see the neurologist soon I'm sure. Tesla has probably booked your appointment already." His smirk had a hint of malice as he turned back to the papers on the desk. Helen was disturbed by his poorly hidden hatred and abruptly stood up. Will's head shot up. "Where are you going? We should go over these other applicants and pick the next one to interview." Helen shook her head. "Call the German next. Have her come tomorrow afternoon. I have a good feeling about her."

Turning on her heel she left the room, heels clicking confidently on the hardwood floor until she closed Will's door behind herself. She shook her head sadly, not sure what to feel about the way Will was acting. The young man was proving to be a disappointment to her. Her journal entries were filled with compliments, comparing him to her dear friend James. Though he had the same talent for observation he didn't seem to know what to do with his knowledge. In her entries she had always attributed it to inexperience, but now she wasn't so sure. Was he so sure of his powers of persuasion that he was willing to settle for people who weren't the best?

Alone in the elevator, she allowed herself a moment of weakness and cried a few tears. The expectations he put upon her, to get better and go back to being the old Helen Magnus, had been very painful. She knew she was not that person anymore. Time reading various books and journals in the library had confirmed it. So far as she could tell the damage was permanent. There would be no miraculous recovery of her intellectual prowess.

She sniffed and wiped away her tears as the elevator neared its destination. Tossing her hair over her shoulder she comforted herself with the knowledge that her physical energy and skills were returning. Sunny had been reluctant to spar with her at first, but soon enough was having trouble keeping up. The only thing Helen hadn't regained yet was her marksmanship, but with some time on the shooting range, she was confident that it would come back to her. Yes, she could be a strong, confident Helen Magnus once more.

…

"Darling, it's not too tight for you is it?" Nikola asked solicitously as he pulled on the single column tie around her ankles, bringing them toward her throat, forcing her knees apart to expose her crotch. "I'm a bit breathless…" she gasped out and he hurriedly loosened the binding a bit until she commented, "That's okay." Her husband carefully tied off the ends of the rope into a quick release knot then stepped back to admire his handiwork. Helen's arms were folded neatly behind her back and tied securely to the rope that was artfully coiled like a harness around her back and chest. Her legs were folded and bound tightly to that same harness, letting him see everything. "This really is the sweetest part of you. I love having you displayed like this, your pretty pussy spread and ready. What a lovely position this is, so accessible."

He was enjoying teasing her while she was bound and helpless, but her sharp words put an end to that. "Yes, I'm sure it's wonderful for you. But, didn't the book say this was originally a form of torture? It certainly is uncomfortable enough." Nikola sighed and broke character. "Yes, the shrimp tie is supposed to be painful, but I didn't fold you up in half like that, so you feel alright don't you?" Helen wiggled her toes cutely. "For now, but I don't think I can stay this way for very long…" Nikola nodded, "Well, just let me know if you have any pain, numbness or tingling. Now, where is that vibrator..." He showed her the new toy. "The Hitachi Magic Wand, the reliable workhorse of the-" "Hurry up and-" "Very well, my impatient pet-" "Nikola!" He smirked evilly as he turned on the massager and pressed it against her clit. He was savoring her uninhibited moans, filling his eyes with the hypnotic sight of her flushed red face so close to her glistening sex, when there was a knock at the door of their suite.

Helen had a pained look on her face and whined, "Ignore it. Please, I'm so close…" Nikola huffed annoyed by the interruption then turned the vibrator off and yelled toward the door. "This better be an emergency!" He gave Helen's pussy a little pat then shut the curtains of their bed in her outraged face. "What?!" she squealed as he left her there momentarily and walked out of the bedroom to answer the door. Helen fumed but could do nothing, tied and naked, forced to wait there on the bed for her husband to return. She tensed her thighs and flexed her buttocks, feeling the throbbing ache of her swollen pussy. She had been right on the edge, why hadn't her husband just finished her off, then gone to answer the door? It was obvious he was enjoying torturing her while he had her helpless. After several moments passed her arms began to ache. No longer able to ignore her discomfort she called out for her husband, "Nikola! I need you!"

She heard the door slam and the hurried steps of her husband approach the bed. The curtains whipped apart to reveal his worried face. "Do you need me to untie you?" She nodded and curtly agreed, the pain becoming rather intense. He quickly pulled the slip knot and began untying her rapidly. She whimpered softly as he moved her arms away from her back to unwind the rope from around her forearms. Once he freed her, he carefully straightened her limbs, running his hands softly over the rope indented flesh. "Are you okay?" he whispered anxiously, looking over her body carefully. Helen waited for a while, letting the sensation of pain fade. "I-I think so…" She sat up slowly and flexed her fingers. The right hand seemed normal but the left felt weak. There was lingering numbness on the back of her left arm. She attempted to extend her left wrist and found herself unable to do so. "Huh." She tried to do a thumbs up and that was a no go as well. "Um, Nikola…I think we compressed a nerve…" Her husband cursed a blue streak, grabbed her clothes and threw them on the bed next to her. "Come on, I'll help you get dressed. We better go see Dr. Hughes."

…

"Wrist drop is a common enough injury. Tennis players get it. Sometimes it's called honeymoon palsy because you can get it from your spouse sleeping on your arm all night. Just wear the brace, do the physical therapy and you'll be right as rain soon enough." Nikola found Dr. Hughes' no-nonsense manner reassuring. Helen just nodded. She seemed unalarmed and cheerful at her good prognosis.

After they returned to their suite Nikola was deeply apologetic. "A little knowledge really is a dangerous thing. How could I be so careless? I can't tell you how sorry I am-" Helen waved it away with a gentle smile. "I know. I guess this means the suspension bondage is out-" "Oh my god, Helen. I don't want to hurt you-" She laughed, "I'm just rubbing it in a little, how incompetent you've proven to be. Why don't you make all this up to me by giving me that orgasm you owe me?"

…

"What happened to your arm?" Will asked the moment she sat down next to him. She stilled for a moment, thinking of an appropriate response. "Oh, it's silly. Dr. Hughes called it honeymoon palsy." Will examined her suspiciously. Her expression was the perfect mask of honesty as usual. Apparently, she had regained her skills at deception, but the light rope marks on her other arm gave him all the evidence he needed. "Did Tesla hurt you?" Helen scoffed and picked up the next candidate's CV. "Don't be ridiculous. It's caused by someone sleeping on your arm all night." Will pointed to the faint indentations in her skin. "I'm pretty sure that wouldn't leave you with rope burn." Helen frowned, annoyed by him not taking the hint. "And I'm pretty sure that you have crossed the boundaries of a professional relationship Dr. Zimmerman." They stared tensely at each other until there was a knock at the door. Helen abruptly smoothed her expression into polite professionalism and called, "Come in."

…

"Ms. Hoffman certainly seems qualified. An excellent zoologist accomplished in both research and applied veterinary medicine. Highly conscientious and agreeable." Will nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, she is the best candidate yet, I'm sure. If you want to hire her then just say so." Helen sighed, "Are you even trying at this point? You seem a lot more invested in my personal life than in doing your job-" "My job means I have to protect the interests of the Sanctuary, and the safety and wellbeing of our staff-" Helen picked up her paperwork and tapped it neatly on the table, put it away then got to her feet. "I saw the doctor and he said I'll be fine-" "Maybe you have him fooled but I know your husband is abusing you. You don't have to accept it. Marital abuse is illegal-" "Nikola doesn't abuse me-" "It's practically rape-" "Oh my god! What is wrong with you?!"

Helen started for the door but stopped in her tracks at Will's next words, "I've seen the videos. You don't have to submit to…that sort of treatment-" "What on earth are you talking about, videos? I really don't-" Will put up a hand, and asked seriously, "Tesla's videos of you two together. Didn't you know about them?" Helen stood there frozen, unable to process what he was saying to her. "I-I really don't know what you're talking about…" she muttered, frowning with confusion. The psychologist let the words hang in the air between them for a long moment, letting a look of deep disappointment cross his face. "Oh. I see." He looked down at his folded hands. "Well, remember the computer problems we were having because of those electrical parasites infesting the system?" Helen nodded absently. "They scrambled a bunch of files on everyone's devices, including Tesla's Pad…and, well, it was brought to my attention that he had some personal videos of you two on there. Anyway, I erased it...but, I have to say that the way he treats you-" Helen cut him off with a raised hand and a cry. "Stop!"

She took a step toward him then stopped bewildered, angry tears in her eyes. "You mean to say that he's been recording me, recording us?!" Will nodded once then watched Helen's fury grow. "That! That fucking bastard! And he was keeping it on his fucking Pad!" Will sat there awkwardly in his wheelchair as she raged. "I'll…I'm going to wring his neck!" "Helen-I-" She screamed and threw up her hands. "Shut up!" Will watched eyes wide as she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, wincing as she slammed the door behind her. In the ringing silence that followed he snorted out a laugh. "Glad I'm not him."

…

Nikola was enjoying a hot bath when he heard the door to their suite boom open and his wife's voice scream his name. Believing the Sanctuary was under attack he jumped out of the tub a bit too fast and slipped, landing hard on the floor. "Ah, shit!" he yelped, his hip stinging as he sprawled there naked on the floor, momentarily stunned. That's how Helen found him when she threw open the bathroom door with a mighty bang. "You son of a bitch!" she screeched, eyes alight with an avenging wrath. She lunged toward him and kicked him in the stomach. The sharp toe of her shoe jabbed the air out of him with a wheeze. He reflexively curled up in a ball and put his arms around his head as she tried to take aim first at his testicles and then his face. "Wha-Why?!" he managed to shout out once he was sure he wouldn't vomit. "You! You recorded us having sex and left it on your Pad! You fucking asshole!" He winced as she kicked him hard in the shin, then tried to scramble to his feet when she started to circle him to aim for his kidney.

A long-nailed hand seized him by the hair and pulled him around to face her. "What the hell were you thinking?! Do you know how I found out?!" Nikola's eyes teared up involuntarily as her merciless grip started to rip hairs out by the root. He gave up resisting her and shrank in on himself, feeling small and ashamed. "How?" he whispered, brow creased with worry. At these signs of remorse Helen softened her grip slightly, then pushed him away with a disgusted growl. "Will saw it on your Pad when we were having those computer problems. Ugh! Can you imagine-He kept saying, 'You don't have to take the abuse!' or something like that. I can't believe-!" She rounded on him again and he cringed and closed his eyes, waiting for her to slap him.

When the hit didn't land he carefully opened his eyes again to find his wife staring at him strangely. He followed her gaze and saw that he was half hard. Embarrassed, he covered himself with his hands, "I'm sorry." They stood there in an awkward silence until Helen let out a disappointed whine. "Why? Why are you like this? Is that it? You get off on me…" She huffed and turned toward the door saying simply, "This isn't…enjoyable." Nikola groaned, "Please! I-It was stupid! I'm so sorry! It was encrypted, I swear!" Helen looked at him over her shoulder, shooting him a look of pure disgust, "How can you be such a liar? What kind of man are you?" then left him there to think about what he had done.

…


	10. Chapter 10

Helen had pushed him out of her life. At least as much as was possible without actually kicking him out of the Sanctuary. She had taken all his things and thrown them in the hallway. He took solace in the fact that she kept their wedding photo, not to mention their more private toys and such, but any time he tried to speak to her she ignored him as though he wasn't there. She even ignored his attempts to apologize or make it up to her, telling whomever else was there to tell him to leave her alone. Henry had been made very uncomfortable at having to relay that message between them. The situation had led inevitably to worried questions. Nikola was forced to say it was a private matter and leave it at that, though he knew it made him look bad.

The situation had dragged on for nearly two weeks. It was so upsetting at this point that Nikola found himself completely unable to work, unable to eat, too upset to sleep. Will seemed visibly smug about the whole thing, but the distressed Serb had no time to hold resentment toward the malicious psychologist. He was too busy falling apart at the seams.

"Helen, please! What do you want me to do? I can fix this-" Helen continued walking as though his words were no more than the buzzing of an insect. "Please…please. Tell me what to do." Helen let out a sigh, the only acknowledgement of his anguish, then went into her office, shutting the door firmly in his face. He stood outside, listening to her lock the door, then hung his head morosely.

"You should leave. Now that she's finally realized what kind of man she's married to, she's not going to want to have anything to do with you anymore." Nikola didn't bother to reply to Will's statement of fact. He couldn't leave. "I guess you don't really have anywhere to go, do you?" Nikola shook his head. Will took that as an answer. "Well, maybe you should have thought of that earlier…Really Tesla, it's for the best. Just leave. You always land on your feet." Nikola stayed there unmoving until he heard the sound of the wheelchair making its way down the hall to the elevator.

…

Helen turned toward the door when she heard a soft sound. She looked down and saw an envelope had been slipped under it. After a moment she went and picked it up. Taking it back to her desk she reluctantly opened it.

_Dear Helen,_

_You said that maybe I do things like this to get you to punish me, that maybe I enjoy it. Well, maybe I just deserve it. And maybe I do enjoy it. Does that make me sick? Or maybe I am pushing you away. Or maybe I was gambling, to see if I get caught. I don't know. All I know is I shouldn't have recorded us without asking your permission first. I am sure it was a criminal act and I am just that, a criminal. You deserve better than that. I guess I am not only a criminal but a stupid one. I wish I deserved you, but I know I don't._

_I love you with all my heart._

_Yours forever,_

_Nikola_

Helen sighed and went back over to the door. Slowly, she brought her uninjured hand to the lock and unlocked it with a soft click. She let her hand rest on the doorknob, memories of Nikola playing before her mind's eye. Bringing her breakfast, holding her when she cried, looking at her with so much love in his eyes. She opened the door to find her husband sitting next to it, head in his hands. He looked up at her, hair messy, his eyes dark and unreadable in the dim hallway. "Come in." She whispered solemnly and stepped back into their suite. He trailed in after her, shutting the door behind himself.

She gestured toward the loveseat that they had made love on so often. He sat down abruptly, almost collapsing. She came over to him and brushed his hair out of his eyes. He looked listless and frail, his skin thin and dry, eyes seeming too large for his face. "You look like hell." He said nothing in reply, just pressed his sharp cheekbone against her hand. His skin felt cold. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. Nikola sniffled and blinked quickly.

Helen gazed into his damp steel blue eyes. "It's okay. I'm not angry anymore. It was just foolish what you did, that's all. I love my dear sweet Nikola. I love you." He smiled nervously and muttered, "I don't deserve…" "No." He stopped short at her harsh tone. She continued, "Stop saying that. It's not a matter of deserving." She took him by the shoulders and shook him a little. "You take care of me, and I take care of you. No. Matter. What. Loving you isn't some kind of favor. Do you understand?" Nikola stared at her blankly for a moment then nodded slowly. "I do."

…

"What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be packed by now?" Will growled as Tesla opened the door to Henry's lab. The handicapped psychologist had just been talking with Henry about how they would soon have to compensate for Tesla's absence. Outrage flooded his veins at the sight of the tall Serb dressed for work, white coat and all. It exploded into rage at the gloating smirk that accompanied the explanation, "Face it Wilhelm, Helen can't resist me." Will finally couldn't take it anymore. "You're evil! I know it! Helen knows it! You've been caught red handed!"

Henry interjected bewildered, "What are you guys-" The blond turned to his colleague and friend, "He's a rapist. He was sexually abusing Helen, secretly taping it, probably for blackmail, or maybe just for sick thrills-" Tesla advanced threateningly on the man in the wheelchair. "Those were private and totally consensual, and none of your goddamn business!" Henry jumped to his feet and moved between the two men. "What the hell!? Come on guys, stop! What, what on earth is going on?"

Nikola glanced nervously between the two younger men then turned to Henry and seized the moment, "Will invaded our privacy and now he's misinterpreting what he saw. He wants me gone so bad he started this argument between Helen and me to try and destroy our marriage. I bet he was in here telling you to expect me to leave-" Will grew alarmed at how convincing the inventor was able to be. "No! That's not it! He-" Tesla talked rapidly over him, "-but Helen needs me. You know she needs me, needs both of us-" Will yelled, frustrated, "He doesn't care! He's using her; I heard him say it!"

The Serb rounded on the Sanctuary head, "It was understandable that you're concerned for Helen's welfare. We all are. But you have to understand that you cannot try and come between a wife and husband-" "I saw the injuries! The wrist brace, the fucking rope burn! I've seen the way you talk to her, the way you make her into a-a-" he sputtered, searching for a word that expressed his revulsion without being insulting. Nikola cut him off, "Shut up. I don't want to hear whatever disgusting thing is going to come out of your mouth. I love Helen. I've loved her from before your grandfather was born-"

"And we always hurt the ones we love, is that it?" Will spat venomously finally silencing his opponent. Henry cleared his throat, interrupting their murderous staring contest. "Uh, guys, Magnus is at the door…"

…

The moment the door to Will's office closed Helen snapped, "I demand you step down as head of the Sanctuary!" Will sneered, "What, so _he_ can take my place? He's unqualified in every way, that mentally unstable addict." Helen shook her head slowly, "No. It isn't about him and it never has been," she said in a low, deadly calm voice, "and if you weren't so obsessed you could see that. My past self picked you for a reason. That's the only reason why I haven't thrown you out on your ear. But it is clear that circumstances have changed. I have changed. Nikola has changed. _You_ have changed and the position you have in the Sanctuary will have to reflect that."

She finally seemed to be getting through to him. He muttered, "What does that mean? Do you think you are going to…?" His brow furrowed, actually looking concerned. Helen sighed, "Finally. Yes, I think that it is best if we go back to the old order of things." The young blond man's face went blank with shock. After a few moments of speechlessness he gasped out, "How can you possibly think that…? I mean you just said that circumstances have changed. The accident-you, you're not the same. The reality is that Tesla would whisper in your ear and you would give him anything he wanted."

Helen smiled bitterly, "Ah, the truth will out. You are determined to hold onto your position, even against the founder of the Sanctuary. Is there nothing I could do or say to convince you otherwise? Oh, I know. I could divorce Nikola, banish him from here…What would you say to that? Would you step down then?" She said it with such a sincere interest that Will couldn't help but be honest.

"Well, yes. I would of course have to help you, but I trust your judgment when-" "When you are the one whispering in my ear." Helen hissed, eyes narrowed with fury. Will shook his head disgustedly. "Uh huh, whatever. This conversation is a waste of time. The only way that you could get control of this Sanctuary again is if we called the other Sanctuary heads and they determined that you were mentally fit-" "Not under mind control and not legally insane! Having Nikola Tesla as my husband hardly meets the definition of mind control." "It might for insane. The assembled council would go over your medical records, brain scans, neurology charts, psychology notes, everything. It's quite possible they would request the security footage. You would have to sign away all confidentiality." "To have a functioning Sanctuary and save lives, I'll sign in a heartbeat." Will scoffed, "Fine, have it your way. I'll make the calls but mark my words, it will be a trail by fire."

…

An extremely awkward silence filled the lab after Will and Helen left. The disclosure of his mentor and adopted mother's sex life was not something Henry ever wanted to hear about again. The accusations of abuse rang in his ears until with trepidation he forced himself to ask the dreaded question, "Uh, what," he coughed, "how did Magnus hurt her arm?" Tesla grimaced, "I left her tied up a little too long. It was-I was stupid and we won't do it again…" Henry squirmed making a face, then nodded reluctantly. The older man spread his hands slowly and looked the HAP in the eye, "Anything else? I'll answer any question you have." Henry thought for a moment, sniffed the air and listened carefully. Tesla seemed genuine, so he shook his head.

Nikola sighed, slumped a bit and raked a tired hand through his messy hair. "Ok then. What are we making today?" Henry looked askance at his sometimes mentor then replied, "The Beijing Sanctuary managed to capture some of those snow snakes but the breeding enclosure isn't working out for them. They sent specs and schematics for you to go over. Since they're dealing with governmental problems, they asked if we could save them some work and manufacture the parts ourselves. Sent funding and everything…" The younger man took in the gaunt appearance of the man nodding back at him. Tesla seemed to lack a bit of his customary frenetic energy, though he didn't seem unhappy.

"Where's the schematics?"

Henry handed him the rolled up papers. There was none of the usual grousing about lack of digital copies, just straight to work. The HAP watched him from the corners of his eyes as they went over the plans together. "What was the ideal temp fluctuation for gestation again? Ah yes, well…This is probably the problem…" Tesla muttered, his deep-set eyes looking almost vampiric black in hallowed out sockets.

"Uh-huh…" Henry agreed then pointed out the accompanying notes that explained the Chinese team had already tried that. It wasn't like Tesla to let something like that slip by. He tried to make casual conversation, figuring he could segue into his concerns. "So, Magnus told me she's learning to cook Serbian food. I guess you're the expert. Is she getting it down?" Nikola nodded absently and muttered, "She's worked hard at it. Tastes nearly authentic..." He huffed disapprovingly. "Their power source is straight out of the 19th century, coal and all. Not that I didn't make tremendous strides in that field-did I ever tell you about my bladeless turbine?"

"Only every time the topic of steam power comes up." Henry muttered under his breath. "Hm?" Tesla replied absently, absorbed in thought. "Yes and Magnus even used it for that blood pump remember?" Tesla looked up from his work briefly at the mention of his wife. "Huh, that's right, she was pleased with it…almost forgot about that…" He looked off, brow furrowed, as the memories passed through his mind wistfully. Henry thought now was his opening. "How are things between you guys?" he asked, trying to seem casual and failing. The sharp gray gaze narrowed and pierced him with a glare, then softened at the awkward spectacle of Henry shifting back and forth from one foot to the other and studiously staring at the engineering specs sheet.

Tesla sniffed, "Well, our fight is over now, if that's what you're asking…" Henry hummed and ground out, "What about you?" The skinny Serb weighed his answer. "I'm fine…Helen is fine…" When the younger man seemed dissatisfied and opened his mouth to say more he preempted the question with, "It was a bad fight. I did something that I should have asked permission-Um, that sounded wrong…" The older man laughed and looked over at Henry nervously. Seeing the earnest curiosity on his face, he relaxed. It was obvious that Henry didn't think he'd done anything serious.

"Anyway, I was in the wrong and I apologized, so everything is back to normal." Henry smiled and nodded. "Good! I was starting to really get worried. You didn't look so great there for a while. Gotta' take better care of yourself, okay?" The sincere caring in the young man's voice was touching. Nikola smiled back at Henry. "Thanks." They turned back to their work. "Here's the problem! Why on earth would they think that would be adequate?" Tesla was lost in thought and Henry sighed, glad things seemed to be turning around.

…

After her confrontation with Will in his office the whir of the machinery as the target approached the booth was soothing. Helen took down the paper and viewed it with satisfaction. Perfect bullseyes every time. It had taken months to get back this level of marksmanship, but she felt it was worth it. Every time she practiced shooting she felt closer to the daughter she had lost, despite having lost so many memories of their life together.

The first time she had come down to the range she had cried. Vivid memories of Ashley had surfaced like a U-boat breaking unexpectedly through the placid waters of her mind. Helen remembered her daughter's strong hands, her wide palms and sturdy, square short-nailed fingers that wrapped so securely around the grip of a gun. Despite being the smaller hands of a woman, they were just like John's hands, nothing like her own long boned fingers, the oval nails often polished and currently filed to elegant almond shaped points.

Remembering such details was such a precious experience that Helen began practicing shooting regularly. Nikola had expressed concern at first when she mentioned her activities to him and asked to observe her at the range. She smiled as she remembered how his fastidious appearance was ruined by the hearing and eye protection. She teased him for looking like a B-movie cop. Instead of the expected quip about porn actors, he merely smiled tightly and encouraged her to show him how her shooting was going. Once he observed her sure and steady movements he left her to it with the comment that "muscle memory certainly is a wonder."

Helen attached a new target to the carrier and sent it out to the maximum range. With a relaxed sigh, she steadied her stance and slowly squeezed the trigger. Just before the gun would have fired her cellphone vibrated in her pocket. Carefully activating the safety and holstering her pistol she answered the phone.

"Magnus! You need to get down to the infirmary. Tesla, he passed out-" "What!? Is he alright?" "I took him to Dr. Hughes. He was just working, I heard him hit the floor, but I didn't see-What if he hit his head? I didn't see!" Henry's voice was frantic and Helen realized that she had to be the calm one. "It's not your fault. I'll go down there immediately. Just, have you told Will yet?" The young man muttered that he hadn't. She instructed to notify the Sanctuary head immediately reassuring him, "Don't worry, I will take care of Nikola."

…

"You are underweight, Mr. Tesla." Dr. Hughes gazed steadily into the sickly-looking man's eyes. Helen sat nearby, watching them intently. She frowned as her husband mumbled, "Yeah, I know. I just forgot to eat is all. My wife is overreacting-" "You fainted! How can you say that?" Helen broke in, visibly distressed by his words. Dr. Hughes broke in, "I think you may have anemia. Let's take a blood sample, just to be safe." Mr. Tesla shook his head, "I really don't think-" "Please Nikola, I need you to get better!" Turning to his upset wife the slender Serb frowned sadly. He made a placating gesture. "Alright, fine. You can test for that." The doctor quickly prepared the needle and test tube and took the blood efficiently. After setting up the test on the Sanctuary's state of the art equipment he took the opportunity to interview the patient.

"How many calories do you eat in a day?" Nikola froze, "Uh, I'm not sure. Lately, I…" He shook his head then shrugged. Helen interjected, "We were, um, arguing recently. Usually I cook for him, but I haven't the last, um, about two weeks." Dr. Hughes turned back to the patient. "What have you eaten in the last two weeks?" The scientist thought for a while, "I mostly ate crackers. Um, I also had some bread. And I drank a lot of milk." He smiled nervously. "Ah, I guess I didn't eat much." The doctor hummed, "Did you drink any alcohol?" Tesla grew serious and shook his head quickly, "No, no."

A soft 'ding' indicated the test results were ready. Dr. Hughes looked at the results on his Pad. "Hm…well, you have anemia. I can give you some vitamin pills, but maybe you'd like something faster as well." He went to the medicine locker and pulled out a vial. "Vitamin B-12 shots. You'll have to come every other day for the next week, then once a week for two weeks." Nikola nodded, happy to see there was such an easy solution. He watched carefully as the doctor administered the shot, then said, "Well, if that's all…" and started to get off the table. Dr. Hughes nodded, then said casually. "Go ahead and leave. I have to go over your diet with your wife and give her the vitamins." Nikola paused for a moment as he rolled down his sleeve, but was quickly distracted by Helen helping him into his jacket. "Go on darling. I'll be out in a minute." He glanced cautiously from his wife to the doctor. They both seemed at ease and unconcerned. "Okay."

After he left Dr. Hughes handed the vitamins to Helen. "Based on my observations, he has anorexia. I don't think he has any plans on admitting it. Has he ever said anything, had any treatment that you know of?" Helen shook her head, a worried frown on her face. Dr. Hughes sighed, "If you don't do something about it, there are a lot of bad outcomes that could happen. As far gone as he is, it's possible he has already done some slight damage, to the bones, internal organs…Really, I'd have to run some more tests, but I doubt he'd consent to that." Helen clenched her fists, unable to bear the thought. "What-what can I do?" she asked urgently.

Dr. Hughes steepled his fingers, "Well, try to get him to see Dr. Newman. Then get him eating healthily again. Does he eat three meals a day?" Helen nodded, "Most of the time. Sometimes when he's working he skips dinner." "Don't let him do that anymore. Between meals bring him snacks, treats, that sort of thing. Tell him you're working on some new recipes and you need him to taste test them. Use full fat everything-" "Alright, he likes that-" "Good, that's good. He needs to put on weight, but be careful not to let him notice larger portions. Just feed him more frequently and heavier foods. And if he won't talk to a psychologist, try to get him to talk to you about food. Oftentimes, people with this condition have strange obsessions about food and eating. Be alert for any of his opinions about his body, insecurities and so on. Try to discourage exercise if you can. Also, do try to avoid arguing and stress, at least until he puts on some weight." Helen nodded shamefacedly. "I will follow your advice."

…


	11. Chapter 11

The Sanctuary heads had been gathered after several weeks of continuous effort on Will's part. Helen couldn't fault him his determination. Or maybe it was pigheadedness? At any rate, her day in court had finally come. Will was pressing his case with great determination and based on the reactions of the council, was proving persuasive.

"I intend to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Tesla has not only manipulated Dr. Magnus' perceptions to the extent necessary to make her mentally compromised but is also coercing and abusing her routinely. The fundamental issue at hand is the capacity to consent. I believe that Dr. Magnus lacks the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions due to memory loss associated with traumatic brain injury. Thus she cannot be reinstated as head of the Sanctuary network, nor should she continue to have control over Sanctuary funds." Will concluded his introductory statement and rolled back to his table.

Tesla stood and said briefly, "I will defend my wife from these baseless accusations of mental incompetence, and though no one can prove that they love another human being, I believe that my sincere care and affection will vindicate me." He took a seat and waited for the chairman to call the council to order. 

Through nomination and a short vote, Onryuji was selected chairman. He then read out the witnesses and evidence. "Expert witness psychologist Dr. Hannah Newman, please come to the stand for questioning." The lanky woman strode assertively to the witness chair. She smoothed her skirt suit and primly crossed her ankles. Dr. Zimmerman approached the stand. "How long have you treated Dr. Magnus?" "Almost three years." "What was your diagnosis?" "She was suffering from emotional lability after traumatic brain injury." "What was the initial cause of seeking treatment, that is, what events brought these emotional symptoms to her attention?" Dr. Newman blinked and said slowly after a long pause, "She came to me with questions about possible sexual dysfunction due to the injury." "Was the dysfunction in respect to partnered or solitary sexual expression?" She cleared her throat then stated plainly, "Partnered. With her husband."

Dr. Zimmerman raised his brows. "Huh. Did the patient seem afraid or express any indication of being in danger?" Dr. Newman looked quickly toward her left and said, "No, she said that they had attempted intercourse, but it was painful and that upon questioning her husband told her that they had never had problems like that previously. She seemed anxious to meet his expectations. I advised her to engage in self-exploration to determine if the problem was physiological. That was the last I heard of it, so the issue appeared to be resolved." Will shook his head, "And you never followed up on it? You didn't question her about being in pain?" Dr. Newman frowned lightly, "No, but I administered the standard battery of questions about domestic violence and abuse and she always indicated no."

"Did you discuss her relationship with her husband in other respects?" "Often. She continued to express anxiety about the expectations of others, including her husband, regarding her former capabilities and personality. Over the course of treatment, I saw her emotional lability decrease as she began to form a new identity-" "Were there any pivotal events that she felt contributed to this new sense of identity?" Dr. Newman nodded, "Yes, she began learning to cook, a skill that she did not have before the injury. She also became focused on domestic work and on her marriage." Will spread his hands, "What sort of work did she feel her marriage needed?" "There was a strong desire to be accepted for herself. She also expressed the desire to become closer-"

"Do you think that was driven by any kind of fear or insecurity-" "Objection. Leading the witness." Tesla said. Onryuji nodded. "Sustained." Will smirked and asked, "What feelings drove her to desire greater closeness and acceptance?" "She was suffering from anxiety and often felt socially misunderstood. In essence, their relationship at that time was more similar to the heightened feelings and risk associated with courtship, rather than the comfortable companionship of an established relationship." "So, we can conclude that her identity was in a state of flux and she was under a degree of social pressure, similar to that of courtship." "Yes."

Dr. Zimmerman gestured toward the defendants. "Mr. Tesla was also a patient of yours. What were the circumstances of his treatment?" "He was referred to me by Mr. Foss and yourself for treatment of alcoholism." "And what event precipitated that referral?" "His wife left the home without notice after a conversation they had while Mr. Tesla was intoxicated." "Why did Mr. Tesla feel the need to become intoxicated at that time?" Dr. Newman huffed, "Essentially he was stressed about work-" "Why?" "He was not able to obtain funding-" "Would you characterize Mr. Tesla as being responsible with money?" The short-haired woman smiled ruefully, "No. He has a history of high-risk business ventures as well as gambling addiction. He also has difficulty with budgeting and controlling spending." "In other words, he is continually strapped for cash." "Objection. Irrelevant opinions!" Onryuji frowned and said, "Sustained. Move along Zimmerman."

Will smiled and changed tacks, "Does Mr. Tesla also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?" Dr. Newman nodded. "Yes, though he no longer meets the clinical threshold of impairment in daily life." "So, he is able to control it?" "Yes." "Would you say that Mr. Tesla is a strong-willed person?" "Indeed." "Is he preoccupied with orderliness, perfectionism, personal and interpersonal control?" "Objection. More leading questions." Onryuji put up a hand, "Overruled." "But-" "Quiet Mr. Tesla." After an awkward silence Dr. Newman continued. "Well yes, but most patients with OCD-" "That is enough. Your witness." Will turned toward the fuming Serb and waved him toward the stand with a smug smile.

Nikola stood and walked up to the witness chair. He looked into Dr. Newman's eyes and thought he detected an unspoken apology there. He asked simply, "Was the treatment successful?" "Yes." "What is your opinion on why the patient stopped drinking excessively?" She smiled gently at him, "He loves his wife and wants her to trust him." Mr. Tesla nodded shortly, "No further questions."

…

"Mr. Foss, when Mr. Tesla was your direct supervisor, would you say that he was an easy person to work with?" Henry sighed, frustrated at the position he was being placed in. "No. He's annoying." "Is he critical?" "Yes…we all know that-" "Does he speak in a hostile, derogatory manner?" "Sometimes. Like I said, he's a pain-" "Would you go so far as to say that he is verbally abusive?" "I dunno, he's arrogant and impatient." "I think the record shows that Mr. Foss here is a very intelligent employee of the Sanctuary, yet on more than one occasion I have heard him call you an idiot. Isn't that so?" "Yeah, he thinks he smarter than everyone." "Have you ever seen him verbally abuse anyone else?" Henry sat there quietly for a moment, frowning unhappily. "Mr. Foss?" Onryuji prompted. Henry continued reluctantly, "Ah, yes. I've seen him call other people names." "Yes, in fact, isn't it true that he would refer to a female colleague in a sexually derogatory manner, routinely refer to the Sanctuary's charges as 'inmates,' continually make sexually suggestive-"

Tesla broke in, "Objection! What is the point?" Onryuji agreed, "Dr. Zimmerman, explain this line of questioning." "I am establishing that Mr. Tesla has a well-known reputation of verbal abusiveness and sexual harassment. It is my belief that he was and is abusive toward Dr. Magnus in order to coerce her compliance in financial, personal and sexual matters when she is a vulnerable state." The chairman sighed, "While that may or may not be the case, the issue at hand is whether or not Dr. Magnus is mentally competent enough to consent to such, and subsequently whether she is competent to regain her former position as head of the Sanctuary network. Please move on."

Will agreed then continued, "During her recovery, did you ever observe a marked personality change in Dr. Magnus?" Henry nodded slowly, "Yes, there was a time when she began to act differently…" "Go on." The dark-haired technician sighed, "She and Tesla started to act all lovey-dovey. She started bringing him coffee, cleaning up after him in the lab, that sort of thing." Will hummed thoughtfully, "And to your knowledge, she had never done anything like that before, even after they had married?" Henry shook his head. "It was weird. Tesla said that it made her feel better, raised her self-esteem to have work she could do. That made sense at the time and they certainly seemed happy together, so I figured that must be the case." Will smiled tightly and said, "Did you ever question Dr. Magnus about it separately from her husband? Maybe ask her if he had asked her to do those sorts of tasks for him?" "No. I figured it was none of my business." Will harrumphed in disgust then turned the witness over to the defense.

Tesla stood and asked curtly, "Have you ever, since I was returned to my human state, witnessed me abuse my wife in any way?" Henry answered promptly, "No, never." "The defense rests."

…

"Dr. Hughes, two months ago Dr. Magnus came to see you about an injury to her wrist, is that not so?" The silver-haired doctor nodded sagely and added, "Technically it was for a compression of the radial nerve that led to wrist drop." Will hummed thoughtfully, "Mr. Tesla came with her, correct?" "Yes, it was a bit of an emergency." "At that time, did you notice any marks on the patient's arms, such as might be caused by being bound with rope?" Nikola shook his head disgusted by the line of questioning and Helen put her hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

Dr. Hughes raised a brow sardonically, "Yes, but I don't make it a habit to pry into the personal lives of my patients unless truly necessary. Diagnosis and resolution of the injury did not necessitate asking about it." Dr. Zimmerman nodded then asked quickly, "Then I take it, if the injury had been more severe-" "Objection! Hypothetical questions." "Sustained." "Your witness." Tesla shook his head tensely, "No questions."

…

"A written assessment of Dr. Magnus' neurological function will now be read. Please begin Ms. Li." Sunny nervously read the medical report out loud. "Uh, Helen Magnus continues to exhibit a reduced attention span, reports trouble concentrating and has intellectual impairment. There was a reduction of IQ from 140+ pre-accident to 129 from six months post-accident. She has persistent memory problems and reports amnesia of much of the middle years of her life except for a few isolated episodes in her history. She reports clear memories of her childhood and early adulthood. When tested, she had memory lapses of recent incidents (post-accident) on an occasional basis. Emotional lability has resolved and personality features of neurosis have receded, though scores are elevated compared to their pre-injury level. Other personality features have permanently changed, such as extroversion to introversion as well as a moderately higher level of agreeableness. She has excellent problem-solving abilities and impulse control and exhibits no confusion or disorganization of speech. Prognosis is good, however it is recommended that she refrain from work that requires perfect or near-perfect recall of previous actions, episodes or facts."

Onryuji thanked her and asked if there was any additional witness testimony. After replies in the negative he opened the floor for statements by the prosecution and defense.

Will positioned himself before the council and spoke at length, "The witnesses bear testimony of signs of an abusive and controlling relationship that Mr. Tesla has mostly succeeded in keeping hidden. He has been less successful in concealing his character, showing himself to be a recovering alcoholic who is control obsessed, financially irresponsible, verbally and possibly physically abusive, who was entrusted with the care of a vulnerable, emotionally unstable and mentally impaired woman, who was desperately anxious to please him. Given the reality of continued gaps in Dr. Magnus' memory, this abuse is hidden even from her own recollection and exemplifies her clouded judgement both professionally and personally.

We must also keep in mind the neurologist's assessment that the majority of her retained memories and identity are from her early life during the Victorian era. As you may know, marriage was then legally a very different institution, where the husband was assumed to be the master of his wife and legal consent of the wife to all manner of treatment was irrevocably given with the words 'I do.' All the witnesses agree that Dr. Magnus has never reported marital abuse, but this is in fact quite common in cultures with such a concept of permanent, irrevocable marital consent. The victims do not recognize their own continued capacity for choice, nor do they acknowledge any ability to refuse the abusive control of their husbands. Indeed, even when questioned in a bluntly direct manner about being verbally degraded or physically beaten, they merely say that such behavior is normal for a husband towards his wife.

Finally, there is the issue of the enormous amount of power that Mr. Tesla has enjoyed over his wife during her recovery. This included the power to tell her the history of her own life, express what he believes that she was like, tell her what was normal or abnormal in their relationship, and so on. Given this tremendous power differential, any manipulations of her self-concept or her concept of their marital relationship would appear completely seamless to her, thus making his lies indistinguishable from the truth. It will be our task to bring that truth to light, something that I believe will become crystal clear with the presentation of the material evidence. Thank you."

Will rolled back to his table, looking supremely confident in his convictions. The council watched intently as Mr. Tesla got to his feet. Unlike his normal manner, he looked anything but confident. It was obvious that Zimmerman's statement had brought up points that he had not anticipated having to refute. He cleared his throat nervously then began reading a prepared statement,

"The witnesses have made clear that Helen has recovered much of her mental function and is certainly capable of making her own decisions and living her own life. There is no evidence of abuse whether mental, physical or financial. In fact, all of her assets are held in a trust currently administered and controlled, so long as she gives her continued consent, by Dr. Zimmerman. Any accusations of financial abuse on my part are thus completely baseless. Moreover, they are impossible. I, who am supposedly so influential, have at my disposal only soft pleas, and that is something I hardly avail myself of either. Helen decides where her money goes, such as remodeling her own residence for her own use, and even to do that, she had to confer with and notify Dr. Zimmerman."

He put down his prepared statement and spoke extemporaneously, "As for these accusations of manipulating Helen for my own benefit, even if I did do such a thing, which those of you who have known me from when I was a vampire may have come to expect, Helen was always smart and capable enough to never give me one inch. At the time of our marriage she set up everything to make and keep me powerless, choosing only to trust me with her physical well-being and care. She trusted me with that because she knew-knows, that I love her and that I would do my absolute best to care for her. Helen was and is perfectly competent to make decisions for the organization that she founded and we should stand by the choices she made well before her injury."

…

Onryuji called the trial to order after the recess. "The prosecution will now present and examine their material evidence. Dr. Zimmerman." Will turned toward the assembled Sanctuary heads. "The evidence I have to present will show that Mr. Tesla dominates and abuses Dr. Magnus to such an extreme degree that it proves his tremendous influence over her. Due to the shocking and obscene nature of the recording, I wish to play only the audio, so as to preserve some of the victim's privacy."

Tesla jumped to his feet, wild-eyed and frantic, "Objection! The recording is and should remain private! To admit it as evidence is a serious violation of Helen's and my right to privacy!" Onryuji pursed his lips then turned to Dr. Zimmerman, "How was the recording obtained?" "It was accidentally viewed by a Sanctuary staff member who expressed concern and notified myself. I have viewed the full recording-" "That recording was a private, encrypted file!" Will spoke over Tesla's objections, "-which was found unencrypted on a Pad that is Sanctuary property-" "You can't play it!"

Onryuji banged the gavel and demanded "Order! Given the notorious difficulty of obtaining evidence of family violence which takes place behind closed doors, particularly where there are allegations that the perpetrator has maintained a charming public face, as well as the tremendous magnitude of the decision at hand, we must admit the recording as evidence. Limiting it to audio only is a reasonable accommodation of Dr. Magnus' right to privacy."

Nikola stood there, face pale, brow furrowed in an almost comical expression of dumbfounded shock. By the troubled frowns on the faces of the council members it was clear that they were being swayed to the notion that he was guilty. Unable to help himself, the scientist begged, "Please, this is our private life. Everything was consensual and it was not-not in seriousness-" Onryuji stated mercilessly, "We will review the evidence now. Please sit down Mr. Tesla or I will have to have you removed." "Everything said was merely in play-" "Sit down!" Nikola collapsed into the wooden chair, then put his head in his hands as they began playing the audio recording.

…

The evidence was damning. Based on their reactions, it seemed clear that the council would find Nikola guilty of spousal abuse and it was likely that they would consider her to be mentally unfit to lead the Sanctuary. Despite her humiliation, Helen didn't feel anywhere near as bad as her husband appeared to be. He was distraught, face still buried in his hands well after the recording ended and didn't respond when called upon by the chairman. Helen stood and the assembled crowd quieted. "I would like to make a statement and am willing to answer any and all questions." Onryuji replied, "Of course. Come to the witness stand please."

Helen sat gingerly on the wooden chair, flushing red at the many pairs of eyes on her. Several held poorly concealed pity. A few also held disgust. She cleared her throat, feeling terribly uncomfortable having to explain her private sexual activities to her peers and subordinates. "On that day, my husband was merely playacting. It is a common enough thing, to, ah…enhance the experience…And, I was certainly not being harmed in any way. He is always careful." She huffed nervously and shook her head, "And besides, this is all rather beside the point. The doctors say I am capable of rational thought. I can make decisions. What no one is addressing is how Mr. Zimmerman has done this last year. I do not think he has made good decisions. People's lives were endangered. He required my assistance to vet new hires properly-"

Onryuji interrupted her complaints. "Ah, Dr. Magnus, that is not the issue at hand. Firstly, were you aware that your husband was recording your sexual encounters?" Helen reluctantly shook her head, knowing that she was incriminating her husband in a crime. "He made a mistake. I forgive him for it and don't want to press charges." Onryuji nodded slowly then continued, "Ah, I must ask, did it occur to you that such a video could be used as leverage or for blackmail?" Helen shook her head slowly, a small frown appearing on her face. "I-I don't think-that wouldn't even work because-who would he even show it to?" Onryuji pursed his lips, dropped the subject and went on, "Please tell us in your own words, what was your experience during your recovery? What sort of things did Mr. Tesla tell you about yourself, your marriage and so on?"

Helen took a deep breath and looked inward. "Um, well the first thing I remember him saying about our relationship is that I am the boss. He said I was literally his boss before, and that I am still in charge, that he wants to help and take of me any way he can." The chairman's poker face never wavered as he asked, "Who was the one that introduced the sexual practices we have witnessed?" The woman swallowed visibly, "Um, I asked about some things I found in our closet…" After a moment she managed to say, "…for bondage, flagellation, that sort of thing. It is really a common thing, not a-um, abusive thing at all." "And, did you recognize those things as familiar? The practices you engaged in, did you have any memory of such practices previously, and did you ever recover any such memories?" Helen shook her head, "At that time I had no memory of any of our previous relations and I have not remembered anything about it from before the accident."

Onryuji nodded then asked gently, "If your husband had to tell you these practices were part of your marital relations, and you have never remembered that for yourself, then how do you know that his statements were true? Is it not possible that he simply placed the, uh, paraphernalia, in the closet, knowing you would find it and ask about it?" Helen was stopped short. She had never considered that as a possibility. She looked over at her husband only to see his bloodshot eyes staring back at her. He shook his head and mouthed the word 'No' as she wrung her hands anxiously and replied simply, "I-uh-don't think he would do that-" Onryuji nodded, "Of course. But is there any evidence that you had such relations before the accident? Did he show you other recordings perhaps?" Helen shook her head, subdued by the impossibility of the situation she found herself in. The chairman addressed her husband, "Are there such recordings?" The scientist nodded hurriedly, "Yes, there are, but please, protect our privacy. I can…show them, uh, to you, I guess…" Helen relaxed as her husband stuttered and struggled with his humiliation. She sighed and muttered to herself, "Of course, your bad habit would save us…"

Onryuji turned to other matters. "Did your husband make decisions on your behalf during your recovery?" Helen nodded, "Well, yes, of course, that was natural in the situation we were in." "Please clarify what you mean and tell us what sort of decisions he made." Helen thought back, "He, well, he had to care for me as any spouse would…and he had to take up the slack, make decisions to manage the Sanctuary, together with Henry. I wouldn't agree with all of them, like digitizing and automating the records like he did. That seemed to me to be unnecessary and unreliable." Onryuji nodded, "Those changes he made, they have continued?" "Yes, we are still using the system he designed. It is a part of the reason why we could take so long to hire new staff." "How has the implementation of this new system affected the transition of leadership to Dr. Zimmerman?" Helen shook her head confused. "I don't know." "Dr. Zimmerman? Have you found the system easy to use?" Will started at the unexpected questioning. "Uh, no. I spend a lot of time trying to access the data, make sense of it, and I'm concerned about security." "What about the others, does Mr. Foss have any difficulty?" Henry shook his head when Will glanced over at him.

Onryuji turned back to Helen. "What do you think are the roles of women and men in marriage?" Helen shook her head, utterly bewildered. "What? I really don't see-" "Please answer the question." She sat quietly for a moment, unsure what to say. "I think a man must care for his wife and protect her…" Onryuji nodded encouragingly. "…um, and a wife should care for her husband." "Do you think women should serve or obey their husbands?" "What do you mean by that?" The chairman cleared his throat, "Should she make herself his servant or helper? Should she always do what he directs her to do?" Helen shook her head, "I think it depends on the situation, on the individuals involved." Onryuji gestured for her to go on. "Um, some women may be very nurturing and wish to be helpful. Some may enjoy being advised by someone smarter or may know they require benevolent guidance. And the same goes for some men, I'm sure." The Japanese man nodded in agreement then asked, "What do you feel is your role in your marriage? Do you try to be helpful? Do you feel you require guidance?"

Helen paused then nodded. "Of course. I do what I can to make him happy and he, well, he does…certainly, he has had to guide me through my recovery." Onryuji looked at her directly and asked seriously, "Given your memory loss and the neurologist's findings that you continue to have difficulty making new memories, do you think that you can consider yourself a reliable witness to Mr. Tesla's character, his treatment of you, and the amount of influence that he has had over your decisions?" Helen huffed, "I suppose I see your point, but the reality is that I know my husband is a good man." The chairman raised a brow, "How?" "I can feel it. I am not-afraid, nervous, nothing. I know how…I can handle him." There was a smattering of laughter in the assembled council. Onryuji smiled briefly then turned to Will. "Dr. Zimmerman. Do you have questions for the defendant?"

Will rolled over to the stand and spat accusingly, "After that damning evidence, how can you expect us to believe that you are anything more than a slave to this man? He treats you like that and your response is to wait on him and give him every privilege?! I can only conclude that your marriage is one of profound inequality, that you believe you deserve-that such is your role, to be an outlet for his redirected aggression-" Helen was taken aback by his vitriol and stammered, "I-what business is it of yours?" The Sanctuary head laughed bitterly, "Yes, what indeed! This man-!" he pointed angrily at Nikola, "-has ruined our budget, destroyed the team, and has reshaped someone I care for deeply into a person I can't recognize! And on top of it all, I have to live with the knowledge that he is abusing her daily and getting away with it!" Onryuji watched passively as the handicapped younger man ranted, finally given a forum for his feelings.

"You deserve better than this! It-it breaks my heart to see you-he's undermined your confidence…he's told you-given you a picture of things that's distorted by his lies. Everything is set up to his advantage, and he's using you…in every way possible!" The last was ground out with an expression of deep disgust. Nikola finally interjected, "Fuck you Zimmerman! You stole that video, you bastard!" Onryuji banged the gavel. "Order! Sit down Mr. Tesla. And Dr. Zimmerman, it seems that you are very personally invested in Dr. Magnus' life. That is not something we can afford to ignore." He stared coldly at the younger man and asked, "Do you harbor romantic feelings for Dr. Magnus?" Will opened his mouth but said nothing. "Answer the question." He swallowed, "Uh, I did…" "Did you ever tell her about these feelings?" Will glanced at Helen nervously, "Yes…but she asked me to never speak of it again. Then she got married." Onryuji sighed, "This is a complicated situation. The council must deliberate. Then we will give our verdict."

…


	12. Chapter 12

The council sat around the table. Onryuji brought the assembled sanctuary heads to order. "Remember, our main task is to either find Dr. Magnus competent or incompetent and thus incapable of regaining her position as head. Secondary to that, we must determine if she is capable of consent, if there is coercion and abuse within her marriage, and what must be done to protect Dr. Magnus from it. Let us go over the testimony and discuss our impressions of the evidence. Pili, please tell us your conclusions first."

She adjusted her hijab nervously, then said, "I feel there are too many confounding factors in this case. We just saw that the prosecution has personal motivation for bringing the case forward to begin with, the testimony of the 'victim' is unreliable, and we all know Mr. Tesla's reputation…" She sighed, "Really, I have to go with the neurologist's prognosis. Dr. Magnus continues to have lapses in memory. She is not competent to head the Sanctuary." Onryuji prompted, "Can she consent to marital relations? Do you think there is abuse?" The dark-skinned woman shook her head slowly, "I think she may be being harmed and doesn't know it…but she said she feels no anxiety or fear of her husband, so…I'm not sure."

Declan broke in to say, "I remember reading about a similar court case that happened in the UK. A woman with the same type of brain injury was living in a long-term care facility. Her husband would visit her on a regular basis for marital relations. At some point, staff felt that he was abusive toward her and questioned her, but due to her memory lapses she could not remember any abuse. What she did say was that she felt anxious around him and was afraid that he would become upset with her and perhaps become aggressive. On that evidence, the court concluded she was incapable of consent and ruled that they were not allowed to have further marital relations."

Yusuf broke in, "You mean to say that the court forbid a man and wife from…ah, from having sex with each other?" The Liberian man seemed bewildered. "How can they have that kind of power?" Declan attempted to explain. "The wife cannot consent. She's mentally impaired, similar to a person that is intoxicated or unconscious." "But, he is her husband and she chose to marry him. I'm not sure how it can continue to be a marriage without marital rights-" The Scot shook his head, "We don't have the legal concept of marital rights in that sense."

Ark-Fong Li interjected, "Is it right to base our judgement on the legal standards of the current culture of the West? Dr. Zimmerman did raise the point that Dr. Magnus was raised during the Victorian era, when such a legal concept of marital rights was the norm." Onryuji replied, "As a network we are not bound by any one system of law, only by the charter, which has nothing to say about the issue of consent. If we deliberate and find that the concept of marital rights applies in this case there is no conflict." Ark-Fong Li asserted, "I think that it should apply. Especially, since Dr. Magnus was not impaired at the time of her wedding to Mr. Tesla. We can consider her consent to be valid at that time, and continuing thereafter if we accept the legal concept of marital rights. I really don't want us to decide their lives for them and forcefully deprive them of each other's affection."

Pili shook her head, "It would be more accurate to call marital rights the husband's rights. The idea that the wife must make herself sexually available to her husband on demand violates her rights to choose, to bodily integrity. Besides that, it originally referred to the husband's right to control the wife's operation of the household, which is exactly the point of conflict Dr. Zimmerman has with relinquishing power to Dr. Magnus." Yusuf nodded, "I have heard about this Mr. Tesla and his various conflicts with the Sanctuary. He even directly collaborated with our enemies. How on earth has he managed to get so close to a position of power in this way?" Declan sighed, annoyed at being the one in the know and thus required to inform the others. "I was told by Dr. Magnus, in a private conversation by the way, that the source blood gave him a mental illness along with vampirism. That apparently excused his previous behavior enough that she married the man. Personally, I have met him previous to the, uh, 'devamping' and after. He is a very different man, though still rather abrasive in manner."

Yusuf nodded slowly, "So, has he made himself an asset to the Sanctuary since?" The Scot nodded, "Oh yes, it has been wonderful being able to send him requests for ideas, especially for devices that could aid in the capture or rehabilitation of rare abnormals. We sent a schematic our scientists had drawn up for a submersible they were having trouble with. It was revised, corrected and even improved within 24 hours." Onryuji commented, "Recently he installed our new power system. The solar thermal array was giving our people trouble, there had been a small fire and we lacked confidence. Mr. Tesla installed it in three days, working nonstop. I could not believe that it could be done correctly in that time and made him stay an additional four days, in case of malfunction, but the system was flawless. He has truly become a valuable asset, not just for Dr. Magnus' Sanctuary, but for the entire network."

Ark-Fong Li huffed, "Yes, at the moment he is working on a breeding enclosure for our snow snakes. He certainly knows how to work, and it seems that Dr. Magnus was right to bring him into the fold, permanently as it were. She obviously sets great store by the man. I don't see why he shouldn't have some role to play in the direction of the Sanctuary. If he truly wished to sabotage it then he has already had ample opportunity." Pili objected, "The issue wasn't one of malice, it was of incompetence. Just because the man is a mechanical genius doesn't mean that he should have any influence over finances for instance. He is notoriously bad with money." Declan broke in, "He addressed that and it's just as he said. Dr. Magnus' assets are all in a trust and Dr. Zimmerman does have control over it." Yusuf huffed, "So what is the issue then? We've already determined that Dr. Magnus' memory impairment precludes the possibility of her regaining her former position and I think we agree on the points that Tesla likely has marital rights, Dr. Magnus shows no sign of being afraid of him, he's a valuable asset to the Sanctuary who has no access to Sanctuary funds, and further neither does Dr. Magnus herself to a large degree. Is there anything preventing us from ruling that things should just stay as they are?"

Onryuji sighed, "Yes, the ongoing social conflict between Dr. Zimmerman and Dr. Magnus and her husband is impeding the functioning of the Sanctuary. I think it was clear to all of us that Dr. Zimmerman feels he has some sort of claim to Dr. Magnus-" "He certainly acts like a scorned lover." Pili interrupted, resulting in nods all around the table. The Japanese man sighed, "It is regrettable to have to ask, but were you aware of any such relationship in the past Mr. MacRae?" Declan laughed nervously, "Uh, Will-I mean Dr. Zimmerman, did make eyes at her a lot. But a lot of men have, so I thought nothing of it." "Was there any evidence that it went any further than desire on his part?" Declan blushed, "I-well, one time they did share a room, but it was because there weren't enough at the hotel." Pili broke in, "Why didn't she share with you?" The Scot flushed an even deeper red and muttered, "I was sharing with Dr. Watson at the time." "Oh."

Onryuji cleared his throat, "So, they may have had an affair-" The Scot interrupted, "I doubt it, but there's no real way to know." The Japanese man continued, "-and he is now acting like a man intent on ridding himself of his rival. Dr. Magnus is caught in the middle of their fight, and is siding with her husband, as could be expected under the circumstances." Yusuf interjected, "There was all that business about Dr. Zimmerman's mishandling of a mission, is that so?" Onryuji pulled out a folder and read from an internal report. "The team assembled by Dr. Zimmerman went to Nepal to acquire Himalayan snow snakes for a breeding program, accompanied by Mr. Tesla and Dr. Magnus. Due to poor decisions made by the team captain, over the objections of Mr. Tesla who was experienced with local climactic conditions, members of the team were endangered during a blizzard and the mission ended in failure." "Has that team captain been replaced?" Pili asked. "No. There is a lack of personnel at the moment which prevents it. Dr. Magnus has made several independent requests to other sanctuaries, but has been turned down each time." Declan broke in, "Henry-Ah, Mr. Foss, he told me earlier today that Helen has been pushing for Mr. Tesla to lead the team." "What? But he has no experience in the field…" Pili shook her head bemusedly.

"Ah, this may be the real issue of contention at the Sanctuary. Who should take leadership during missions, not who is leading the Sanctuary itself." Ark-Fong Li declared, sharply raising a pointed finger. He then demanded, "What exactly happened during that mission?" Onryuji read the details of the report. "Mr. Tesla advised team captain Jim Ferguson to shelter in place during a blizzard. Mr. Ferguson disregarded this advice and moved the team upslope to a mountain cave. Team member Soon Li became lost in the blizzard and Mr. Tesla went to retrieve her. Ms. Li later made it to the cave on her own and Mr. Tesla was lost until the blizzard passed. Dr. Magnus attempted to organize a rescue party but met resistance from Mr. Ferguson. After some time had passed he informed her of the presence of an electronic tracking device with which they were able to find Mr. Tesla. Dr. Magnus directed Dr. Tanya Pinsky to treat him for hypothermia but Dr. Pinsky claimed to be unequipped. Dr. Magnus then directed Ms. Li to make some hot tea and administered it until Mr. Tesla was able to recover on his own."

Yusuf exclaimed, "Recover on his own?! From hypothermia?" Onryuji nodded, "Yes, it says here he used the technique of too-ah, tumm-" "He knows Tummo?! How did he ever-?" Pili interrupted. "What is that?" Ark-Fong Li inquired. "Oh, it is a meditation technique. He can control his body temperature." Pili replied. "I'm quite familiar with it, due to my work with the monastic community-"

Onryuji interrupted, "Back to the point. It seems clear from this report that Dr. Magnus' statement that Dr. Zimmerman did a poor job recruiting team members was valid. She also said that he requires her help to vet replacements. Certainly, she has the mental competence to continue in that capacity. This then raises the issue, how much weight should we give her opinion that Mr. Tesla is suited to leading teams in the future?" After several moments of silence Declan spoke up, "I think it's not a bad idea. Having seen what he is like now, after the vampiric mania has gone, he is actually a responsible person, good judgement, definitely cautious. Probably more so than Magnus herself was before all this happened." Ark Fong-Li chimed in, "The biggest problem I foresee is the possibility of losing him. What an asset to risk on anything dangerous…" Pili nodded, "But, it was really Magnus that drove the risk taking. She was so fearless, headstrong really." Onryuji murmured, "Mr. Tesla is much more likely to engage in long term plans that minimize all risk to himself while maximizing rewards-" Yusuf broke in, "You all make the man sound like a coward. Does he have the courage to lead a team? Especially now that he is not immortal?"

Onryuji pointed to the report, "He certainly had enough courage to try and find Ms. Li in the midst of a blizzard. Dr. Magnus does not come right out and say it, but it's clear she believes that Mr. Ferguson was cowardly, fleeing the storm then refusing to look for Mr. Tesla." The other heads nodded in agreement. "Given the personnel shortage, why not let him lead a team, see if he's up to it?" Yusuf said. Declan shook his head, "I don't know that Zimmerman will stand for it. He's definitely emotionally compromised by the situation."

He sighed and finally said what he really thought, "Frankly, Tesla had a point. Airing their dirty laundry like that instead of going through private channels to address his so-called concerns…it's was really, just brutal." The awkward silence that followed was finally broken by Pili. "I think he can't continue as head of the Sanctuary, or the network for that matter. Really, that sort of lack of judgement…" Ark Fong-Li broke in, "It was disloyal." Yusuf nodded and chimed in, "It put us in the position of being forced to violate Dr. Magnus' privacy."

Onryuji nodded slowly then interjected, "Are we agreed that Dr. Zimmerman must step down?" Looking around the table all the councilmembers were unanimous in their agreement. "Who do we nominate as head of network?" Pili said, "I nominate Declan." Yusuf seconded it. "Do you accept?" Onryuji asked the Scot. He nodded quickly and said, "I nominate Tesla to replace Zimmerman." Ark Fong-Li quickly seconded it and the council prepared to render their judgement.

…

Onryuji read the council's prepared statement, "In the matter of Dr. Magnus' mental competence in her marital relations, we find her capable of consent, however she is neither competent to head her Sanctuary nor the network. We also find Mr. Zimmerman incompetent due to emotional compromise and his future position will be decided by the new head." Will looked genuinely alarmed but restrained himself from interrupting.

"We decided that Declan McRae will take on the position of head of the network and train Mr. Zimmerman's replacement. As Mr. Foss does not wish to take on a position of leadership, this leaves us with only one candidate. Mr. Tesla, Dr. Magnus has already nominated you to be team leader. This council had decided to approve that appointment. Are you willing to take on that position as well as the additional responsibility of leading her Sanctuary?"

Nikola really couldn't believe what he was hearing. He shook his head slowly, "What? Really?" Onryuji sighed tiredly, "Yes, Mr. Tesla, really. The matter of your personal life has been resolved and has no bearing on your professional capacity. Will you take the position and are there any conditions?" Nikola sat back in his chair and thought deeply for several moments. "I-I want a new financial administrator. I'll take whoever…and, and I need Will-" "What?!" Will burst out, flummoxed by the turn of events.

Nikola turned to his sometime nemesis, "Yes, I need you to tell me all the day-to-day stuff Helen taught you. I need your advice because I've never done anything like this before. I want to take money out of the equation, get rid of this distrust and focus on accomplishing our common goals. Helen has always been my priority. Not her money, not seizing some kind of power…though that's really ridiculous. If I wanted real power or wealth I wouldn't be messing around here-" Will laughed exhausted, "What about the personal…" He waved a hand in a vague circular fashion, letting his rival fill in the blank himself. Nikola smiled ruefully, "Helen married me. She loves me and I'd say I've won, but it's not a contest. I don't deserve her, not yet. But I will or die trying. So, do you want to give up this animosity and get on with it?"

Will shook his head bemused, "I'll have to think it over."

Onryuji interrupted, "Well, on that note, I declare this council over. We will select and appropriate financial officer and send them within the next month. Please let us know if you need any more assistance Mr. Tesla." The man was already turning to his wife, taking her hand to lead her out of the room. "Sure thing." He muttered then got back to talking to Helen.

"So, I've been thinking about that suit, the one with the force field. Could be useful to keep one skinny Serb in one piece…but wouldn't it be even better if we all had one?" Helen laughed delighted, "Of course! And a teleporter too, right? I seem to remember something about you needing some platinum. It's too bad I don't remember where I left that dragon's hoard." Nikola sighed, "Well, I'm sure it will come back to you eventually…"

…

The End


End file.
